A strange-looking deep-sea ‘dragon’ shark has amazed spectators by appearing on a tourist beach. The pregnant Portuguese shark, typically found 3,500m below the ocean surface, weighed 40lbs (18kg) and stretched an impressive 4ft 8in (1.45m) in length. It washed ashore at Luarca Beach, situated west of Gijón in north-western Spain, over the weekend.
This shark species, also called a Portuguese dogfish, was previously heavily fished in the region for its meat and oil but is now on the brink of extinction. Feeding mainly on fish, molluscs, and sea mammals, the species has been known to attack giant squid. However, due to overfishing and low reproduction rates, catching these sharks is now prohibited.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature categorizes them as ‘Near Threatened.’ Luis Laria, president of the Centre for Studies and Protection of Marine Species, conducted an autopsy on the shark to determine its cause of death and why it washed up on the beach.
Luis remarked, “We discovered this extraordinary creature on Luarca Beach. Imagine carrying 350kg of weight per square centimeter on your body. Well, this shark, centroscymnus coelolepises, can endure such immense pressures and thrive at depths of up to 3,500m.” After the autopsy, Luis mentioned they could not pinpoint the exact cause of death but suspect it was hooked by a fishing crew, causing fatal injuries.
“A thorough examination revealed no definitive cause of death,” Luis stated. “Initially, we found blood in the mouth, oesophagus, and stomach, along with 12 large eggs containing developing embryos and nine undeveloped eggs. The liver, weighing 5kg, accounted for 27.78% of the shark’s total weight of 18 kilograms.”
Further scrutiny of the digestive tract unveiled no food remains, but an irregular tear in the oesophagus wall indicated a possible accidental capture leading to the shark’s demise. Local residents likened the creature to Toothless and Shadow from the How to Train Your Dragon series, noting its peculiar eyes resembling the characters.