Dozens of sharks wash up on North Wales beach
Dozens of dead sharks have washed up on a beach in Denbighshire[1]. Between 25 and 30 sharks are currently scattered across the sand on Prestatyn[2] beach. The small sharks, which have been identified as starry smooth-hounds – due to their speckled white spots – were discovered by passers-by on Tuesday morning before pictures and videos were posted online.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue have been notified and a marine expert has been at the site to take samples. In a post on Facebook[3], North Wales Coordinator at British Divers Marine Life Rescue Gem Simmons urged people to avoid touching and moving the sharks from the beach.
Smooth-hound sharks are widespread in UK waters and mainly feed on crustaceans and shellfish. They live in coastal waters at depths of between 5 and 200 metres, on gravel or sandy bottoms, and measure between 100cm and 150cm, weighing up to 4.8kg.
Other, similar sharks, have washed up on the beach in the past but not in such large numbers. British Divers Marine Life Rescue and Natural Resources Wales have been approached for comment.
The sharks have been identified as starry smooth-hounds, also known as gummy sharks, due to their small size and lack of sharp teeth (Image: Sharon Foston)
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References
- ^ Denbighshire (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Prestatyn (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Facebook (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Gaerwen Arms statement issued on ‘devastating’ fire which caused ‘catastrophic’ damage to pub (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter (www.dailypost.co.uk)