Just when you thought it was safe to walk on the beach ...
Family stroll on sands ends in encounter with rare shark that could have been victim of wildlife traders ‘Despite a fair amount of fishing and swimming in the UK, I have never seen anything other than dogfish’
BRITISH beaches are blessedly free of either crocodiles or toothy sharks, but all that changed yesterday when a rare visitor from the tropics washed up.
Scientists have admitted they are baffled after a dead crocodile shark was found on a Devon beach by a family out for a stroll.
Normally encountered in the warmer waters around Brazil and Australia, at first glance the three-foot long creature, a direct cousin of the great white, appears to have strayed out of its normal environment by thousands of miles.
However, some experts have said it is “impossible” the shark could have voluntarily swum so far north and suggested it could instead have been a victim of exotic wildlife traders.
The smallest example of the mackerel family of sharks, which also includes the great white and the mako, the crocodile shark was at first mistaken for a juvenile porbeagle shark, which is common in UK waters. But once inspectors from the National Marine Aquarium examined the specimen more closely, they realised it had characteristics not seen on any native British sharks.
James Wright, curator at the aquarium, said the species had never been recorded in the UK before.
“This time of year, with UK waters at their coldest, this occurrence is very unusual,” he said.
“With the crocodile shark accustomed to much warmer waters, travelling so far and reaching colder waters would have caused a shock to its system and account for the cause of death,” he said.
Other scientists, however, do not believe the animal could have propelled itself so far into cold waters.
A source familiar with the illegal trade of exotic animals said it was more likely that the shark had been caught alive in order to be sold, possibly into a private collection, and then dumped overboard.
“It is incredibly unlikely that the shark could have made it this far under its own steam,” he said. “The fear is that it was caught and illegally transported to be an exhibit.”
With their spindle-shaped bodies, short head, bulbous pointed snout and large eyes, crocodile sharks tend to grow to a maximum of three and a half feet and usually weigh less than a stone.
Not considered dangerous to humans, the species takes its formal name, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, from the Japanese expression for “water crocodile”.
Steven Greenfields said he and his family were stunned when they spotted the shark during a walk on the beach at Hope Cove near Plymouth and contacted their local aquarium.
“I have experience with sharks whilst swimming and diving overseas, but, despite a fair amount of fishing and swimming in the UK all my life, have never seen any shark in UK waters other than dogfish,” he said.
“Because it was so unusual we consulted our local aquarium to confirm what species it was.”
Paul Cox, the managing director of the Shark Trust, said the species was currently listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of at risk species.
“The crocodile shark is too small to be valuable in fisheries,” he said.
“However, they are caught, like many other sharks, as by-catch in high seas fisheries which will likely impact on their future status.
“For all sharks, but especially the less common ones, any information that we can get is useful so it is great that this one has been reported and identified.”