Friesland,
A blue shark was found on the beach of Schiermonnikoog on Tuesday.
This is special, because the habitat of the blue shark normally covers the Atlantic Ocean, not the Wadden Sea. The shark is no longer alive.
It is a female of about 1.95 meters. Initially it was thought that it was a tope shark.
“She is indeed not so blue, more white or gray,” says shark expert Paddy Walker of the Dutch Elasmobranch Association. “But the front fins are too long for a tope shark.”
Walker thinks the shark is pregnant and may have had dozens of eggs. When moving the shark, a red well came out. “That could be the womb without puppies,” Walker says after seeing the photo.
“Strange it didn’t come out until later. The shark also looks a lot less bloated.”
Last year on German Wad
It is not the first time that a blue shark has been found on the Dutch coast. Last December, a live blue shark was found in Ouddorp (South Holland), shortly after a male dead blue shark was found on the German Wadden island of Spiekeroog.
The shark on Schiermonnikoog was found on Tuesday afternoon by Foppe Peter Schut, on the beach on the northwest side of the island.
Store in Leiden
The municipality removed the shark on Tuesday. The animal will be brought from Schiermonnikoog to Lauwersoog on Thursday. The Naturalis research institute then collects the fish and brings it to Leiden.
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