The shark was gigantic, but the fishermen managed to haul it ashore. It was still alive and struggling, so to keep it on the beach they lashed it to a tree. Then they killed it. Sharks were common enough off the Tuscan coast, but this was a lamia, a Great White, and it weighed over a ton. When it was safely dead, several of the fishermen reached into the shark’s horrible mouth and with their knives gouged out teeth for souvenirs and charms. Word of the marvel reached the Medici palace in Florence. The Grand Duke Ferdinand II, an aficionado...