There are a number of shark species that can be found in UK waters including Tiger, Nurse and Basking sharks - but what about great whites?
Great white sharks are among the most feared predators on Earth, striking terror into the hearts of swimmers having been portrayed as the frightening 'villain' in films and TV shows over the years - none more famous than Jaws.
But should beachgoers in the UK be worried about spotting a great white off British shores?
Get to know some of the most charming faces in the world of sharks. Watch #SharkFest on National Geographic and stream on @disneyplus https://t.co/l4aAWq1RnX pic.twitter.com/LF8xiFNyk1
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) July 19, 2022
Where can you find great white sharks - are there any in the UK?
Great white sharks can be found in oceans all over the world, more frequently where the temperature of the water is "easy to adapt to and their favourite food is abundant", says the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
National Geographic adds: "While frequently associated with Australia and South Africa, great white sharks tend to be found in temperate and tropical coastal waters all over the planet."
But what about the UK?
While the great white shark has not been a frequent resident of UK waters, there have been credibly reported sightings dating back to 1965, according to the University of Plymouth.
However, according to the marine experts at Ocearch, they could end up becoming more common in UK waters in the not-too-distant future.
Tracking investigations showed that the creatures have started to regularly swim north as they search for food.
The research group’s founder Chris Fischer, talking to The Times said: “We believe they should be moving up past Brest [in Brittany, France] and Cornwall."
How big can great white sharks get?
A great white shark can grow up to 21 feet in length, according to National Geographic.
Divers in Hawaii get the shock of their lives when what might be the world's biggest great white shark appears from the deep. Watch The World's Biggest Great White? tonight at 9/8c as part of Best of National Geographic. #BestOfNatGeo pic.twitter.com/P3ipf6QMTl
— National Geographic TV (@NatGeoTV) December 30, 2019
They can also get to be up to 4,500 pounds in weight and live for more than 70 years.
A great white shark's size is relative to that of a bus, National Geographic explained.
The shark "hotspots" in the UK
While there may not be many Great Whites in UK waters just yet, there are a variety of other sharks that call local waters home - the full list of which can be found here.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Great white sharks could be found in UK waters soon according to marine experts
- 400-year-old carnivorous sharks found lurking in the depths of British waters
It is estimated around 10 million small and 100,000 larger sharks from across 40 different species are swimming in the seas around the UK, the University of Plymouth said.
But there are two locations in particular that are said to be "hotspots" when it comes to sharks.
Devon and Cornwall are said to be Britain's largest "shark hotspots", according to the University of Plymouth.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel