Females are the larger of the sexes, although males can still clock up more than four metres from tip to tail. They prefer uninterrupted ocean territory, which they can cross at speeds in excess of 15 miles per hour.
You simply cannot mistake a great hammerhead shark for anything else. As the name implies, these monsters, which can grow to a whopping six metres from end to end, have a head that resembles a hammer.
The strange head shape helps to extend the peripheral vision of the hammerhead and adds sensory ability to the nose. That, in turn, makes the shark far more sensitive to underwater movements and helps it chase and track pray. Blacktip sharks are often mistaken for their much-larger brother the great white. However, they are around a quarter of the size when fully grown, and have very distinct black markings at the top of their dorsal and back fins — hence the name.
The Med is considered the perfect habitat for the elegant blacktip. The reason? These guys like shallower waters of up to 30m in total. They also congregate around coastlines where there are muddy lagoons and sandbanks, and can even occupy brackish water. Sadly, blacktip sharks are on the endangered list.
The Basking shark is a whole different kettle of fish see what we did there? Instead of the hulking chompers of a great white, it has tiny teeth.
Instead of a lust for blood and meat, it dines on plankton and organic matter. Yep, the basking shark is a filter feeder. It cruises through the seas with an open mouth and picks up anything with nutritious value along the way, filtering out excess water and waste using huge gills. Basking sharks can be found throughout the whole of the Mediterranean, although their locations are unpredictable. The only sightings of dusky sharks in the Mediterranean Sea have been in the western Med.
There, they regularly move between the cooler waters of the Portuguese Algarve, the Strait of Gibraltar and the shores of North Africa. They look rather fierce and can grow to nearly four metres around the same as an adult male great white , but rarely attack humans without provocation. The trouble is that white sharks need to bite something to explore it, and very often these bites are fatal. Tiger sharks, with some exceptions, are wide spread between the equator and the 30 parallel north and south latitude.
It is also found in the warm freshwater basins of large tropical rivers like the Amazon. The great white shark, which can reach over 6 meters in length and weight of between 2 and 2. Off the coast of Europe, great white sharks are found along the Atlantic coast of the Canary Islands , Madeira , France , Spain and Portugal as well as in different parts of the Mediterranean. One of the biggest sharks ever caught in the Mediterranean was an adult two-ton great white shark caught off the shore of Tunisia.
Although it can occur in any part of the Mediterranean, it is generally considered that great white sharks are not found in the Black Sea due to the lower water temperature in winter and the lack of larger prey. In the background a local pop tune croons out of a radio, mingling with the sounds of the sea below and seagulls above. Then the camera catches something in the water beyond: a fin the colour of soot, tracking the boat.
The water becomes a chaos of foam and blood as the creature shears its head from side to side, tearing the catch to pieces, its eye a white cue ball. His identification leaves little doubt: the animal tearing the catch from their boat is indeed a great white shark , probably the most formidable — and demonised — apex predator in the world. The shark is huge, too: estimates at the time put the shark around six metres in length, close to the record for a species commonly spotted making short work of sea lions off the coasts of Australia, South Africa and California.
The Catalani film, however, was shot 15 miles off the coast of Rimini, Italy. Read: how the ultimate shark photo went viral.
Are there great white sharks in the Mediterranean? Little is known about them, but they have probably been there for a very long time. And there was once probably a lot more of them.
What is believed to be the first documented shark attack of any kind was in the Mediterranean, recorded on a vase found in Naples and dated to BC.
All of which paints a portrait of sharks not only being noticed, but abundant — and human-shark conflict, too. An image from the Icones Animalium, published in Rome in , shows what is believed to be a stricken seafarer being attacked by sharks, and a giant ray. Images of sharks from ancient times to the middle ages show a chequered approach to the perception of sharks, with many drawings distorted or inaccurate. But even the most ancient accounts reveal conflict between sharks and humans in the Mediterranean — which has been surrounded by seafaring nations since the dawn of modern civilisation — dating back to BC.
The grisliest case came in , when a 4. But as damning a picture as this paints, these remains — of a man, a woman and child — were thought to have been victims of a recent tsunami caused by the Messina earthquake , and not necessarily victims of a shark. In addition, the creature was found to contain the remains of a dog and a cow. Overall, the broader picture of shark attacks in modern times in the Mediterranean is notably low — particularly given the relatively small volume of water and the huge numbers of people who use it for recreation and utility.
They also pose little risk to humans. Beaches may still be shut down if a Blue ventures close, though, simply for safety. This gorgeous, small, and somewhat playful shark species poses no danger to people. It is a delightful marine encounter for many divers like us.
Well, as docile as sharks get! They also lack the mouth size to bite a human fatally. This is a type of shark, not a species. They are fast, aggressive, and a true apex predator. Sadly, their large fins are often used in shark fin soup, leaving two species actively endangered and the other on the vulnerable list.
A bit of a bummer, right? Blacktips are one of the few shark species who like shallow waters over depths. So they tend to be found near coral reefs, lagoons, and bays. Although the dangerous Bull and Tiger shark species are their closest cousins, the Blacktip is not aggressive or a danger to humans.
Also kind of like me! They average 3 feet long, and have a soft fin set far back, making them look like large fish. They make a spectacular- and perfectly safe- sighting when diving. Three catshark species call the Mediterranean home, although two the black-mouth catshark and the Atlantic catshark live at depths most swimmers and even divers will never encounter. This shark subspecies is the focus of many conservation efforts to help them thrive.
Malta runs a notable program supported by the snorkeling industry there. Spinners are often mistaken for Blacktip sharks, and they share the same love of warm, shallow water. The only conflict comes when spearfishers have fresh, juicy prey on their belts the sharks crave.
We all love snacks, right? So the species is listed as vulnerable and there are fishing bans in some areas. The USA and Australia are home to the most unprovoked shark attacks in the world, not the Med, and these are very rare indeed. So breathe easy! The Bull shark has never been conclusively proven to be in the Mediterranean, although it may be present along the Italian coast.
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