Massive rare 600kg shark washes up ALIVE on UK shores

Massive rare 600kg shark washes up ALIVE on UK shores The huge shark can typically be found in the Mediterranean but washed up on a British beach after being recorded just a handful of times in UK waters A massive shark typically found in warm waters has washed up in the English Channel. The animal is believed to be a smalltooth sand tiger shark and is 600kg and 430cm in length. They are usually found in the Bay of Biscay and south toward Morocco, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Azores and Canary Islands. It washed up alive on Greve D'Azette beach in St. Clement on Jersey in the Channel Islands on Sunday. The shark is a rare and endangered species which has only been recorded in the UK a handful of times. Authorities said it is the first time the species has been found in Jersey since records began. Jersey Coastguard, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and Marine Resources attended and while the shark was showing small signs of life, it was unable to be revived. The incoming tide then took the shark away until the next day (June 8), when the shark washed up again. A postmortem, carried out by New Era vets, showed no obvious signs to the cause of its death. The shark showed no signs of fisheries interaction or entanglement. The Government of Jersey Marine Resources said identification is "yet to be confirmed through DNA analysis". While it might not seem that the UK is a magnet for sharks, there have been plenty of occasions where the animals have washed up on British beaches or have been caught by fishermen. In June last year, an endangered shark was caught in shallow waters off a British beach by a stunned fisherman. Alex McGlynn, who has been fishing for 20 years, said he had never seen a tope shark in the area. They can grow up to six feet in length and primarily eat bony fish as well as crustaceans and cephalopods. Thankfully, the shark species are not deemed aggressive and there are no records of attack on humans. The tope shark can reach lengths of up to 6ft 3in, but despite their size they are not threatening and have been spotted around the UK in the past few years. They are protected in UK and EU waters and if caught on rod and line must be returned to the sea alive.