Sharks!

[stewart]

I've been having a debate/argument with some friends (usually alcohol influenced) about the marine life in the Med. Are there sharks or other nasty things swimming around? If so which parts of the Med and are there any reported attacks or just sightings? What else is in the sea and dangerous (other than nasty stuff pumped out from the land)?

 

[Guest]

Duncan Light?

 

[stewart]

Thought it was best not to mention kamakazee lunatics in Bayliners, but what the hell! Anyway, I think he was floundering somewhere on the south coast and there is obviously no possibility whatsoever of a Bayliner making it all the way to Spain.

 

[BarryD]

Not on one tank of petrol anyway!

<G>

 

[peterg]

Jellyfish!

these are plentiful in the summer in some areas but I've not heard much about sharks or the like in the Med (unless you count timeshare touts on the Canaries of course!)

 

[Guest]

what do you mean "only sightings"? There won't be much of a story from anyone who has been scoffed by a shark will there?

Anyway. There are indeed some sharks. Aargh. But most sharks don't eat people. But there again, some of them might try justto see if they like people, esp nonmed people who don't eat too much garlic!.

But I have jumped in lots and lots all over the med and never seen a shark, or even a blimmin fish most of the time. 10miles out or more there are big worrying looking fish that they bring back. But no sharks.

 

[stewart]

I've spent much time in the water there too, and no concerns about safety, just a desparate need to prove friends wrong. What sort of sharks are there?

 

[MikeBrazier]

What about the Jelly Fish then, there are lots in the med. I thought that the Med Sharks were not considered dangerous anyhow.

 

[Roberto]

There are indeed...

There are quite a few sharks in the med. For example in the Adriatic whenever you have big game fishing contests all boats come ashore with quite a few of those nasty beasts. They are not enormous, but 0.50 to 1.5 meters long, enough I suppose to be careful.

Although they are caught 20/30nm from the coastline, many sightings have been reported near northern Croatian shore, Istra and Velebit channel. Some resorts have protection nets in front of the beaches. There have been a few attacks too, although not many deadly.
The most common species are (latin) Prionace Glauca, but at least three times in the last ten years a big "great white" hunt has been launched to kill the occasional lonesome Carcharodon Carcharias. Much more impressive 4/5m long animals.

I have seen a small one myself near Korfu, more inclined to take a rest than attack...

Roberto

 

[Guest]

Re: List! of Sharks! aargh, S\'s mate loses

Checklist of Sharks: Mediterranean Sea

Compiler: Ian K. Fergusson
List Date: 03.00
Adapted and updated from:
Fergusson, I.K. 1994. An Annotated Checklist of Sharks Frequenting the Mediterranean Sea. pp. 49-51. In: Proceedings of the 2nd European Shark & Ray Workshop, British Museum (Natural History), 1994. (R.C. Earll & S.L. Fowler, ed.) Joint Nature Conservancy Council (JNCC), Peterborough. 83pp.



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INDEX
Order Hexanchiformes
Order Squaliformes (NB: as revised by Shirai)
Order Squatiniformes
Order Lamniformes
Order Carcharhiniformes

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Order HEXANCHIFORMES Compagno, 1973:- Cowsharks

Family HEXANCHIDAE Gray, 1851: Six-gill and seven-gill sharks

01. Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788). Sharpnose seven-gill shark.
02. Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788). Bluntnose six-gill shark.
03. Hexanchus vitulus Springer & Waller 1969 (=H. nakamurai, Teng) Sharpnose sixgill shark.

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Order SQUALIFORMES Shirai, 1996:- Dogfish sharks

Family ECHINORHINIDAE Gill, 1862: Bramble sharks

04. Echinorhinus brucus (Bonnaterre, 1788). Bramble shark.

Family CENTROPHORIDAE Shirai, 1996: Gulper sharks

05. Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801). Gulper shark.
06. Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque, 1810). Little gulper shark.

Family DALATIINAE Shirai, 1996: Kitefin sharks

08. Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1810). Kitefin shark.
09. Isistius brasiliensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Cookiecutter shark.

Family ETMOPTERINAE Shirai, 1996: Lantern sharks

10. Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758). Velvet-belly.

Family SOMNIOSIDAE Shirai, 1996: Sleeper sharks

11. Somniosus rostratus (Risso, 1826). Little sleeper shark.
12. Centroscymnus coelopis (Bocage & Capello, 1864). Portuguese dogfish.

Family SQUALIDAE Blainville, 1816: Dogfish sharks

13. Squalus acanthias (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912). Piked dogfish.
14. Squalus blainvillei (Risso, 1826). Longnose spurdog.


Family OXYNOTIDAE Gill, 1872: Roughsharks

15. Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758) Angular roughshark.



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Order SQUATINIFORMES, Angelsharks

Family SQUATINIDAE Bonaparte, 1838: Angelsharks

16. Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758). Angelshark.
17. Squatina aculeata (Dumeril, 1829). Sawback angelshark.
18. Squatina oculata (Bonaparte, 1840). Smoothback angelshark.



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Order LAMNIFORMES Compagno, 1973:- Mackerel sharks

Family ODONTASPIDIDAE Müller & Henle, 1839: Sandtiger sharks

19. Carcharias taurus (Rafinesque, 1810). Sandtiger or grey nurse shark.
20. Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810). Smalltooth sandtiger.

Family CETORHINIDAE Gill, 1862: Basking Sharks

21. Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765). Basking shark.

Family LAMNIDAE Müller & Henle, 1838: White, Mako and Mackerel sharks

22. Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). Great white shark
23. Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810. Shortfin mako
24. Isurus paucus Guitart-Manday, 1966. Longfin mako.
25. Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788). Porbeagle.

Family ALOPIIDAE Bonaparte, 1838: Thresher sharks

26. Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) Thresher shark.
27. Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839) Bigeye thresher shark.



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Order CARCHARHINIFORMES Compagno, 1973:- Ground sharks

Family SCYLIORHINIDAE Gill, 1862: Catsharks

28. Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810. Blackmouth catshark.
29. Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758). Smallspotted catshark.
30. Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758). Nursehound.

Family HEMIGALEIDAE Hasse, 1879: Weasel sharks

31. Paragaleus pectoralis (Garman, 1906) Atlantic weasel shark. (? possible)

Family LEPTOCHARIIDAE Gray, 1851: Barbeled houndsharks

32. Leptocharias smithii (Müller & Henle, 1839) Barbeled houndshark. (? doubtful)

Family TRIAKIDAE Gray, 1851: Houndsharks

33. Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus, 1758) Schoolshark or tope.
34. Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1821. Starry smoothhound.
35. Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) Smoothhound
36. Mustelus punctulatus (Risso, 1826). Blackspot smoothhound.

Family CARCHARHINIDAE Jordan & Evermann, 1896: Requiem sharks

37. Carcharhinus brevipinna (Müller & Henle, 1839). Spinner shark.
38. Carcharhinus falciformis (Bibron, 1839). Silky shark.
39. Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870). Copper shark.
40. Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes, 1839). Blacktip shark.
41. Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824).Blacktip reef shark.
42. Carcharhinus obscurus (Lesueur, 1818). Dusky shark.
43. Carcharhinus altimus (Springer, 1950). Bignose shark.
44. Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827). Sandbar shark.
45. Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758). Blue shark.
46. Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 1837). Milk shark

Family SPHYRNIDAE Gill, 1872: Hammerhead sharks

47. Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834). Scalloped hammerhead.
48. Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758). Smooth hammerhead.
49. Sphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837). Great hammerhead.

 

[jfm]

Re: It\'s a jungle out there

Ian K Fergusson needs to get out more

JFM

 

[Guest]

Re: It\'s a jungle out there

I am going to pretend that ther's only one of each. That great white spotted in 1758 probably dead by now.

 

[stewart]

Re: There are indeed...

and the western Med, any in there or are they particularly partial to Greek food and plate smashing and soldiers with silly pom poms on their shoes?

 

[Guest]

Grow up.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Re: It\'s a jungle out there

Like lobsters they live for at least 300 years, but only when fed on good old British tourists.

 

[Guest]

Re: It\'s a jungle out there

With all those sharks looks like an estate agents convention. Or accountants. Though couldn't see any obviously "jock sounding" ones.

 

[chippie]

Re:Only sightings

Of course its the sharks you dont see that get you.(marine or otherwise)

 

[Guest]

Re: It\'s the MacWhite! nm