On this page Which sharks, rays and other marine animals can hurt you All 22 sharks, rays and other marine animals If you are bitten or stung How to report What official sources say About this list Sources
This page lists 22 sharks, rays and other marine animals : 4 from New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension's Shark Safety and Facts for New Hampshire; Spiny Dogfish; NOAA seal data and sea turtle table; NH SGCN list and 18 named in other official sources.
Which sharks, rays and other marine animals can hurt you Official sources single out these sharks, rays and other marine animals in New Hampshire, in their own words:
All 22 sharks, rays and other marine animals From A to Z. Do not handle them.
Find by name
No confirmed photo of Atlantic Sea Scallop Atlantic Sea Scallop Placopecten magellanicus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need Photo: Dean Hester · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Gulf of Maine New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension No confirmed photo of Basking shark Basking shark Cetorhinus maximus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Gulf of Maine New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension No confirmed photo of Eastern Oyster Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need Photo: Steven Lamonde · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need; federally endangered Photo: Katie Gipson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Gray seal Halichoerus grypus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Maine and New Hampshire coastal waters, year-round NOAA Fisheries / NOAA InPort No confirmed photo of Green sea turtle Green sea turtle Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. No confirmed photo of Harbor porpoise Harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Gulf of Maine New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension Photo: Chris Spain · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Harbor seal Phoca vitulina
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Maine and New Hampshire coastal waters, year-round NOAA Fisheries / NOAA InPort Photo: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Harp seal Pagophilus groenlandicus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Winter months; not common NOAA Fisheries / NOAA InPort Photo: Michael Bakker Paiva · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Hooded seal Cystophora cristata
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Winter months; not common NOAA Fisheries / NOAA InPort No confirmed photo of Horseshoe Crab Horseshoe Crab Limulus polyphemus
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need No confirmed photo of Humpback Whale Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need No confirmed photo of Kemp's ridley sea turtle Kemp's ridley sea turtle Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. No confirmed photo of Leatherback sea turtle Leatherback sea turtle Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Photo: Kristiina Hurme · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Loggerhead sea turtle Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Gulf of Maine New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension Photo: NOAA Photo Library · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons (U.S. federal work, public domain) North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need; federally endangered No confirmed photo of Northern Shrimp Northern Shrimp Pandalus borealis
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need No confirmed photo of Soft Shell Clam Soft Shell Clam Mya arenaria
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Conservation NH Species of Greatest Conservation Need No confirmed photo of Spiny dogfish Spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Where in New Hampshire Inner waters of the Gulf of Maine, late spring to early fall New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Photo: Elias Levy · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Carcharodon carcharias
Not stated
Venom No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it. Danger to people “A shark attack has never been documented in New Hampshire waters” New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension Size Born about 4 feet long; grows to about 20-21 feet and over 4,000 pounds (NOAA quick facts: up to 4,500 pounds). How to recognize it Torpedo-shaped body, conical snout, prominent keel at the base of a crescent-shaped tail Large first dorsal fin, usually with a pointed tip Broad, triangular, serrated teeth Where in New Hampshire Gulf of Maine New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension Full White shark guide
If you are bitten or stung Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
How to report NH Fish and Game Wildlife Division (603) 271-2461; Law Enforcement (603) 271-3361. Invasive insects: NHBugs reporting form (nhbugs.org/reporting-form). Stranded marine animals: Seacoast Science Center (603) 997-9448 or the Northeast hotline (866) 755-6622. Sharks: Northeast Shark Hotline (401) 859-1043. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
What official sources say Are there sharks in New Hampshire? Yes. White sharks are native to the Gulf of Maine, and spiny dogfish enter its inner waters in late spring; NH Sea Grant says sightings of white sharks in the Gulf of Maine are relatively rare. New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension
“Sightings of white sharks in the Gulf of Maine are relatively rare” Sources Snakes of NH (old site page) . New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. archived copy, captured August 1, 2023; checked November 3, 2026. Shark Safety and Facts for New Hampshire . New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “A shark attack has never been documented in New Hampshire waters” Why are we seeing more white sharks and seals in the Gulf of Maine? New Hampshire Sea Grant / UNH Cooperative Extension. August 2020; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (2) “…white sharks usually occur in the Gulf of Maine region from the early summer through the fall.” “Sightings of white sharks in the Gulf of Maine are relatively rare” Spiny Dogfish . New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. archived copy, captured June 12, 2025; checked November 3, 2026. Maine and New Hampshire 2016 M_MAMMAL_PT (Marine Mammal Points) . NOAA Fisheries / NOAA InPort. Updated July 9, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. New Hampshire Species of Greatest Conservation Need (2025) . New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. archived copy, captured October 15, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Section 7 Species Presence Table: Sea Turtles in the Greater Atlantic Region . NOAA Fisheries. undated page; checked November 3, 2026. Wildlife FAQs . New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. archived copy, captured August 1, 2023; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “Wildlife Division - (603) 271-2461” 
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