Yes, Folks, it not only the dangly Portuguese Man-o-War that spring has brought to our waters because now we have the sighting of a shortfin-mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus).

It might be short-finned, but this one measures around three metres long. Anyway, a team of marine biologists from the University of Granada spotted this large shark on Tuesday, about four miles off the coast of Almuñécar.

Although it did approach their boat several times, it must have already had breakfast because nobody started screaming, “This boat isn’t big enough!”

Now, before you rush out and burn your bikini, it is a critically endangered species around the world whose fishing is prohibited in the Mediterranean, even though, “its meat is highly prized.”

Furthermore, although it is the fastest shark on the planet, reaching speeds of 70 KPH, it rarely approaches the shore, therefore it does not typically pose a danger to people bathing.

Fun fact: it is an endangered species because more humans eat marko shark than marko sharks eat humans. They feed on mackerel, sardines, and hake, as well as small sharks and squid,” according to the Department of Zoology at the University of Granada, which has its own website.

Along the coast of Granada, you can find everything from small, velvet-belly lanterns sharks, barely 60 centimetres long, to the impressive basking shark, which measures about 10 metres and feeds on plankton. However, one of the most frequent visitors to the beaches is the blue shark and the pale Northern-European tourist.

Editorial comment: we don’t know what university students were doing four nautical miles out – perhaps they were coming back from Morocco on a shopping expedition for hash… just joking!!!

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Marko Sharks, Blue Sharks, Basking Sharks, Endangered Species, University of Granada

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