Types of Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea

To those who ask, yes there are sharks in the Mediterranean Sea. Seldom seen, and even more seldom coming close to people, they are there, but in ever-decreasing numbers as they are being fished to extinction.

The Mediterranean Sea is an inland sea situated in central Europe, but spanning three continents - Africa, Asia and Europe.

It is a huge sea spanning a massive 965.000 square miles, and its warm waters are home to at least 47 different species of shark, at least 15 of which could be dangerous to humans.

Yet despite millions of people using its 28,600 miles of coastline every year, there have been very few reported shark attacks in the region, and fewer deaths.

Some of the waters in the Mediterranean reach a depth of over 15,000 feet although the average depths is just 4,000 feet.

With very saline, warm waters and little tidal movement, the Mediterranean Sea is home to an abundance of sea creatures, gving the sharks plenty of food to live off.

At the straits of Gibraltar, a 9 mile gap between Spain and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea opens into the vast Atlantic Ocean, and offers a migratory path for many pegalic (open sea) sharks to traverse the ocean to the USA, which some species of sharks do unfailingly every year, returning to the deep waters of the Mediterranean to hatch their young.

The three most dangerous sharks on the planet are believed to be present.

1. The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
2. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) - though its presence has not been confirmed.
3. The bull shark( Carcharhinus leucas) - again its presence is suspected but not confirmed

However, there are many other dangerous sharks in the Mediterranean including:

• blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus)
• smooth hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna zygaena)
• scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini)
• great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran)
• shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus)
• grey nurse or sandtiger sharks (Carcharias taurus)
• sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus)
• spinner sharks (Carcharhinus brevipinna)
• copper sharks (Carcharhinus brachyurus)
• blue sharks ( Prionace glauca )
• sharp-nose sevengill sharks (Heptranchias perlo)
• oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus)

The family CARCHARHINIDAE are present in quite large numbers. Those are the sharks whose Latin names start with Carcharhinus, and those sharks are known as Requiem Sharks.

Many sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are virtually never seen and so pose no danger to water users, but their presence means that bathers and other users of watersports should always be on the look-out for sharks.

Only the big three mentioned above - the white, bull and tiger shark have teeth designed for tearing.

Other sharks' teeth are designed for gripping, and so are less likely to cause fatal wounds.

Most sharks only bite humans to check out what they are. Great whites are notorious for this, but because of their size, that one bite can be fatal or cause serious damage.

Many smaller sharks will bite only when caught up in fishermen's nets or on lines. Even little sharks have powerful teeth and so all should be treated with the utmost caution at all times.