Ten new species of shark are heading to UK seas
19 July 2018, 07:56 | Updated: 19 July 2018, 08:00
Blacktips, sand tigers, hammerheads, ocean whitetips, bigeye threshers, longfin makos, silky sharks, dusky sharks, bronze whalers and goblin sharks are all expected to head towards the UK.
Ten species of shark are predicted to make their way to UK waters by the year 2050 due to rising ocean temperatures, caused by global warming.
The gigantic sea-dwellers tend to stay away from the chilly waters that surround Great Britain - but research from the University of Southampton suggests that our neck of the woods (or rather, oceans), are becoming far more inviting.
Credit: Getty - the sand tiger is a distant relative of the great white shark
Dr Collins said: "It's likely we will be seeing more sharks spread from warmer regions such as the Mediterranean Sea towards our waters in the UK over the next 30 years.
"These include the likes of blacktips, sand tigers and hammerheads, which are currently found swimming off the coasts of Spain and Portugal."
Other species expected to head this way are the ocean whitetip, bigeye thresher, longfin mako, silky shark, dusky shark, bronze whaler, and the goblin shark.
Credit: Getty - The hammerhead shark can grow up to 6.1m in length
Despite the predicted arrival of these creatures, it is thought that there are already 10 million small and 100,000 larger sharks from 40 different species dwelling in the UK seas - ranging from thresher, basking and nursehound sharks.
However, these are said to be rapidly declining in numbers due to "over fishing, plastic waste and climate change."
A new 'shark map' indicates that Cornwall is the UK's 'shark capital', with an expected 20 species inhabiting the waters near the shoreline. This is followed closely by the Scilly Isles and Devon.
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