Press
Sightings of blue sharks near the coast are rare. A beach on Menorca had to be closed because a specimen got lost in a bay.
Maó – It’s every holidaymaker’s nightmare: On Monday afternoon (May 7th), a two to three meter long blue shark was discovered on a beach in the municipality of Es Mercadal on the holiday island of Menorca in Spain. The animal was spotted from the shore at around 3:30 p.m. Holidaymakers filmed it swimming from one side to the other in the bay. The lifeguards immediately alerted the emergency service 112 and had the beach closed immediately.
Shark alarm on Spanish Mediterranean island: Beach on Menorca had to be closed as a preventive measure
Spotting a blue shark so close to the coast is rare: this shark species usually stays in deeper waters. According to the Balearic environmental group Grup Balear d’Ornitologia (GOB), one of the main reasons for the animal’s getting lost is its search for food. There could also be an injury behind it, according to the group Majorca Daily Bulletin. Also last year A blue shark has already been spotted in the Mediterranean off Spain.
The Menorcan beach remained preventively closed for around 20 hours without any incidents involving bathers, the daily reports menorca.info.
Encounter with a sea predator: Experts advise remaining calm
The GOB organization recommends not approaching or touching a blue shark. This could cause stress in the animal and provoke an attack. In conversation with the Editorial network Germany Marine biologist and shark researcher Simon Weigmann advises staying calm if you encounter a shark. Swimming away is not recommended because the animal is faster.
Instead, people in such a situation should fixate on the shark and maintain eye contact with it. It is also advisable not to turn your back on the animals and to avoid hasty movements. A German father recently managed to protect his family from a shark attack in Egypt using the right tactics.
Rare blue shark is threatened with extinction
Although a shark sighting can be frightening, blue sharks are not actually dangerous to humans. This species of shark usually feeds on fish and squid. However, because blue sharks do not see particularly well, so-called “exploratory bites” can occur on humans. Tiger sharks and great white sharks attack people more often, but humans are not part of their usual prey pattern either.
The blue shark gets its name because of its bluish color, which camouflages it in the water. It is on average 3.40 meters long. According to the German Marine Protection Foundation The blue shark is an endangered species. (jus)
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