Locals found a rare species of shark dead in the sea off Lep Beach, Hampshire, England on Saturday. The discovery, shared with photos on social networks, was met with excitement by biologists interested in analyzing the corpse, but the feeling did not last long. When the shark was later found, it had only one trunk.
Those responsible for cutting off the shark’s head and tail and stealing body parts are believed to be the work of fortune hunters.
“It’s very disappointing,” says historian Dan Snow, who shared a photo of the shark on Twitter, calling it “an exceptional visit in those waters.”
Last night we went shark conservation for science. But we are too late! Please- contact your supervisor. Scientists want to see it, and then it’s up to you to keep it. https://t.co/gS8SYQxAp4
— Don Snow (@thehistoryguy)
March 19, 2023
Dan Snow took to Twitter to plead with whoever had the head to temporarily bring it back so scientists could examine it, and then, he said, the individual could keep the head.
Accordingly BBCResearchers expected to see teeth and a head, and they believed the animal might be a small-toothed tiger shark, which is usually found in warmer waters.
From the biologists’ point of view, this will be a rare opportunity to get close to the shark and it will help us better understand “our oceans and their health and climate change”. The Zoological Society of London will recover the shark’s remains this Tuesday. To examine it.
