Beached sixgill shark was pregnant
Scientists say the carcass of a large, bluntnose sixgill shark that washed onto a North Saanich beach this week is a great reminder that there are about 12 species of sharks in British Columbia’s coastal waters.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada research scientist Jackie King said the creature, sometimes known as a cow shark, was female and roughly four metres long.
It was pregnant, and King said it was carrying several young when it died, likely of natural causes. The pups also died, she said.
A necropsy on the remains of the adult was underway on Thursday. King said results could be available today.
Bluntnose sixgill sharks are deep divers, cruising the continental shelf and diving to depths of up to 2,500 metres.
King said the B.C. coast is one of the few areas in the world where the species give birth.
She said the bluntnose sixgill is fairly common off B.C., but because it likes deep water it is rarely seen. Its prey includes another type of shark — the spiny dogfish, as well as most types of fish, squid and crabs.
“I like to joke that they are sharks, so they can eat anything they want to,” King said, quickly adding that because they prefer cold ocean depths, the species is usually lethargic and unaggressive.
“Yes, they have teeth, it’s a large animal, but other than that it is nothing really to be feared,” she said.
There is no sign the shark was killed by entanglement, hit by a boat or attacked by some other animal, so King said the discovery could offer a rare glimpse into the lives of these littleseen creatures.
“Opportunities like this highlight to the public that our ecosystem is comprised of a whole number of different creatures, one of them being these top predators, or sharks,” she said.
The curious gathered on the rocky beach of Coles Bay on Wednesday for a glimpse of the remains of the shark, with its comb-like, yellow lower teeth, single dorsal fin and long tail.
Sidney resident Nicole Wilford called the sight both fascinating and sad. “You know why it’s here and what it died from is kind of sad. But to be able to see it is pretty cool,” she said.