Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:05:39.881Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) from south-west England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2009

Emily J. Southall  and
David W. Sims
Emily J. Southall
Affiliation:
Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK
David W. Sims*
Affiliation:
Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: David W. Sims, Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The first confirmed record of a smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) in British waters for 140 years is described. The head section of the specimen was found washed ashore in relatively good condition at Portreath, south-west England, in December 2004. Evidence suggests it was not a fishery discard, and, like most other previous records of this species in British waters, probably came ashore moribund or dead.

Keywords

Sphyrna zygaenasmooth hammerhead sharkPortreathSW England
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 1 , January 2008 , e9
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Compagno, L.J.V. (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the World. Part 2, Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 4, 251–655.Google Scholar
Day, F. (1884) The Fishes of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 2. London: Williams & Norgate.Google Scholar
Gudger, E.W. (1947) Size attained by the large hammerhead sharks. Copeia 4, 228–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pingree, R.D., Binha, B. and Griffiths, C.R. (1999) Seasonality of the European slope current (Goban Spur) and ocean margin exchange. Continental Shelf Research 19, 929–975.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sims, D.W. (1996) A rare record of the salp, Thetys vagina (Tunicata: Thaliacea) from western Scottish waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 76, 833–834.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorpe, T. (1997) First occurrence and new length record for the bigeye thresher shark in the north-east Atlantic. Journal of Fish Biology 50, 222–224.Google Scholar
Wheeler, A. (1992) A list of the common and scientific names of fishes of the British Isles. Journal of Fish Biology 41, Supp.A, 1–37.Google Scholar