Inside poisonous shark in UK waters with venom that can ‘seriously harm’ humans
The UK is home to a poisonous shark that has venom in its spine and can cause serious harm to humans.
Living in the River Thames is a breed of shark known as the Spiny Dogfish – aka Spurdog shark.
The shark gets its name from the spines in front of its dorsal fin, which it can use to defend itself by curling into a ball and striking viciously at a predator, My London reports.
It has a pointed snout, large eyes, a streamlined body and is a greyish-brown colour on top, with a lighter belly, and rows of white spots down its sides.
The Spurdog is one of very few venomous fish found in UK waters along with the Stingray and Weever fish.
It is believed the sharks use the Thames estuary to give birth and nurse their young thanks to the improving water quality and higher oxygen concentrations in recent years.
Although the Spurdog doesn’t eat humans, its venom can cause extreme discomfort and swelling, and will attack if it has been seriously bothered.
Their diet consists of fish such as small flounder, plaice, codling and sprats, while also feeding on fish that swim in midwater such as herring and eat small crustaceans.
A Zoological Society of London (ZSL) report published last year also identified two other species of sharks in the Thames – the Starry smooth-hound and Tope shark.
The Starry smooth-hound grows to a length of about 55 ins (1.4m).
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It is grey or greyish-brown with a scattering of small white spots on its dorsal (upper) surface and white on its ventral (under) surface.
It is a long, lean fish with a somewhat rounded snout and rows of shallowly projecting teeth.
The Tope shark is a slender and elegant shark species often found close to shore all around the coast and can grow up to six feet long.
They feed on a variety of fish species as well as crustaceans or cephalopods if the opportunity arises.
Tagging studies have shown that Tope can travel huge distances and some individuals tagged in the UK have later been found as far away as the Canary Islands.
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