If you want to see sharks, you might travel to the Maldives, South Africa or Hawai’i, but did you know that several different types call the UK home?
From a filter-feeder the size of a bus to the world’s fastest shark, here are some of the shark species found in UK waters.
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Shark species found in the UK
Basking sharks
Basking sharks are the world’s second largest shark. They grow bigger than great whites and can reach a staggering 12 metres long. Yet, these gentle giants feed on tiny plankton. They visit the UK in the summer months; usually arriving around May and staying until October. If you’re lucky, you can go on a boat trip to try to see them in Cornwall, the Isle of Man and the Scottish Hebrides.
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Blue sharks
Named for their distinctive bright blue colouring, these pelagic sharks can be seen off England’s southwest coast during the summer months. In winter, they return to the Caribbean. Blue sharks are an open ocean species so, to be in with a chance of seeing one, you’ll need to book a dedicated blue shark boat trip. These depart from Cornwall, Plymouth and Pembrokeshire.
Small spotted catsharks
Growing to just 100cm, small spotted catsharks are a pale cream colour with tiny brown dots all over their little bodies. When under threat, they curl themselves into a little doughnut shape to protect themselves. You might spot them washed up on the beach, and their meat is sometimes sold in fish and chip shops as “rock salmon.”
Common thresher sharks
Thresher sharks are known for their long, ribbon-like tail, which they use like a whip to stun prey. Like basking sharks, makos, and great whites, threshers also have a remarkable ability to leap clear of the water. In the summer, these migratory sharks travel through UK waters, sometimes surprising fishermen and wildlife watchers with their incredible breaching behaviour.
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Angelshark
With their flattened bodies, these strange animals look more like a ray than a shark. Angel sharks (Squatinidae) are the world’s second most threatened family of sharks, skates and rays. The critically endangered species is protected in our waters. They can be found in Wales where they hide in the sandy seabed, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey.
Shortfin mako shark
The fastest shark in the sea, shortfin makos can put on bursts of speed more than 40 miles per hour when they need to catch fast-moving prey, like swordfish and tuna. This pelagic species is found in tropical and temperate waters around the world. Although rare, they are sometimes seen in the UK and Ireland during the summer.
Greenland shark
The chance of encountering these deep-sea sharks is very low as people rarely come across them. However, there is evidence that they swim through UK waters: a female Greenland shark washed up on a Cornish beach in 2022. The autopsy showed that she was a juvenile at just… 100 years old. The species can live for around 500 years.
Main image: Mako shark/Getty
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