On Thursday (19th March 2015) the body of a rare shark was been found washed up on a Newquay beach. The Shark Trust said “Based on the position of the dorsal fin, it looks like a tope”.
Newquay Beachcombers posted a picture on Twitter (see below).
A rare shark believed to be almost five feet long was discovered washed up on a Newquay beach on Thursday.
The fearsome sea predator was found by Annabelle King as she walked along Porth beach.
Washed up on #Porth #beach this morning pic.twitter.com/1coXSRStb8
— Newquay Beachcombing (@Newquaybeach) March 19, 2015
Source: Cornish Guardian
Galeorhinus galeus is a houndshark of the family Triakidae, and the only member of the genus Galeorhinus. Common names include school shark, tope shark, soupfin shark, and snapper shark. It is found worldwide in temperate seas at depths down to about 800 metres (2,600 ft). It can grow to a length nearly 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) long. It feeds both in mid-water and near the seabed, and its reproduction is ovoviviparous. This shark is caught in fisheries for its flesh, its fins, and its liver, which has a very high vitamin A content. The IUCN has classified this species as “Vulnerable” in its Red List of Threatened Species. (Wikipedia)
