This is because the shark has been identified as a smalltooth sand tiger shark. Not only is it a rare species, but conservationists say it is rarely seen this far north in the northeast Atlantic, making its discovery in Hampshire, southern England, a find that may provide valuable information about the species.
The shark had already made headlines once before its death, when a daring local woman saw the shark stranded in shallow water off Lepe Beach and jumped in, pulling the shark by its tail into deeper water. deep so that he can swim safely.
But the shark didn’t survive long, as locals discovered its body washed up on the beach on Saturday. Biologists, however, quickly got excited when they realized the shark was a rare find – and enlisted the help of local residents, including TV historian Dan Snow, to help secure the remains so that scientists can examine them.
Unfortunately, by the time locals returned for the shark’s body, the ‘trophy hunters’ had already ‘cut off the head, dorsal fin and tail’, Snow, who is a resident of the area and had seen the shark before he was beheaded, said in a video posted on Twitter.
“(It is) really disappointing because scientists and marine biologists sent us over there to try and secure the hulk of this unique find in UK waters,” Snow said.
“It’s not illegal to take pieces of dead fish washed up on shore so there’s no judgment, but if you’ve taken the lead please contact us, let the scientists take a look and then it’s up to you to keep it,” he added.
Yesterday’s reports of a stranded #shark turned out to be particularly exceptional as images indicated it was a smalltoothed sand tiger, rare across its range let alone on the south coast of the UK!
Saddened to hear that the head and tail have been removed by the blanket of darkness. pic.twitter.com/E9O1buUqVZ– The Shark Trust (@SharkTrustUK) 19 mars 2023
Snow then posted a video of himself collecting the shark’s organs for the London-based international conservation charity, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which will examine the remains.
Some of the shark’s internal organs had also been removed, Rob Deaville, project manager for a ZSL program that investigates stranded sharks and other marine animals in England and Wales, said in a telephone interview.
Deaville said researchers could still glean information about the remains – including the shark’s genetics, the contaminants it was exposed to and potentially even its eating habits – but noted that the investigation would no longer focus on the cause of death.
Ben Garrod, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of East Anglia, said the shark’s head would have allowed researchers to examine the brain as well as the chemical composition of the teeth, which would have given insight into the place where the shark had grown up. Even its eye lens could have provided information about its life history and ecology, Hannah Rudd, marine scientist at Shark Hub UK, said by email.
“It’s like finding a Roman bust, beautifully preserved, and then someone took the head and the arms off – well, first of all, you don’t know who it is,” Garrod said during of a telephone interview.
“No judgment, but you’re much more likely to contribute to something really exciting, really important, giving your head back – so if you wanted to drop it outside of an aquarium or a fish and crisps in the area would be great. »
According to the Shark Trust, a British organization focusing on the study and conservation of sharks, the distribution of small-toothed sand tigers in the northeast Atlantic extends only to the top of the Bay of Biscay, on the west coast of France. Even in this area, sharks are only rarely seen, he said in a statement, “making this report an exceptional case”.
“The head in particular holds the key to unlocking intricate details of shark life, even before birth, so we’d love to know where it is!” says the trust.
Smalltooth sand tiger sharks measure up to four meters (about 13 feet) in length and are usually found near the seabed. The Guardian reported that the one spotted on Lepe beach was six feet long.
Although the sighting of this shark has not been linked to climate change, a series of studies have shown the impact of rising temperatures on the world’s oceans. Last year, ocean heat broke records for the third consecutive year, reaching the highest temperature since reliable measurements began in 1958.
A 2022 study found that about a third of marine animals could disappear within 300 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, while another from 2014 found that ocean acidification he ocean disturbed the sense of smell of sharks and affected their ability to hunt. .
“With climate change, with changes in biodiversity loss, it may be that this particular type of shark is replacing an existing species in that area, it may be moving to new waters because of climate change.” , said Garrod. “We don’t know any of that because we don’t have the whole shark. »
