A two-metre-long shark washed up on a popular Spanish beach with blood dripping from its teeth, scaring Britons on holiday near Alicante.
The creature was found on Playa del Rihuete beach in Puerto de Mazarron, which is about 70 miles south of British tourist hotspot Alicante in southern Spain.
Shocked holiday-goers first discovered the shark late in the evening, at 10pm on January 22, as it was found getting into trouble in shallow waters by the beach.
After it was found struggling, beachgoers tried to save the creature and attempted to push the 200kg predator back into the sea – but it sadly died.
The local council was called to remove the shark, and a day later, workers disposed of the shark at a rubbish dump.
A sample tested by a local vet discovered it was a mako shark. Mako sharks, also known as sharp-nosed mackerel sharks, range throughout tropical and temperate seas.
They are streamlined and relatively slender and have pointed snouts, crescent-shaped tails, and long slender teeth, according to Britannica.
The largest adults may approach 4.5 metres (14.8 feet) in length and are over 500kg. They are prized for their fighting qualities and repeated jumps out of the water.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared the mako shark as endangered.
A shark matching its description was spotted the day before the incident five miles to the east in waters off the beach town of La Azohia. Witnesses said the shark appeared to be “disoriented” as it swam.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature produced a report in 2019 and stated: “Across the regions, the Shortfin Mako was estimated to be declining in all oceans, other than the South Pacific where it is increasing.”
Nautical Channel reports that shark sightings in Spain are common. The Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Valencian Community, Catalonia, Granada, Galicia and Asturias are places where sharks have been documented.
In Galicia, surprising cases of white shark sightings have been documented in the Vigo estuary, with specimens exceeding 10 meters in length.
