Almost from the moment the sun rises on the Island of Tenerife, tourists and locals alike flock to beaches like Playa de Las Teresitas. While some pass their time sunbathing on the beach, others head for the sea. Most are unaware that they are sharing the water with the young of one of the most critically endangered marine animals in the world – Squatina squatina – more commonly known as Angel Shark.
As their name suggests, Angel Shark are sharks, but you would be forgiven for thinking they weren’t. Rather than sporting the sleek, torpedo shape of many other shark species, they have a more flattened appearance, with large pectoral fins. Feeding at night, they bury themselves in the sand, waiting for the opportunity to ambush an unsuspecting crab, fish, or other prey passing by.
“Angelshark used to be found all the way from the north of Europe, into the Mediterranean Sea, and then down North Africa, but due to fishing, especially trawling, and habitat degradation, their populations have massively decreased”, Héctor Toledo-Padilla, Senior Project Officer at the Angel Shark Project: Canary Islands.
Read Protecting the Angel shark with deep-sea knowledge at Ocean Census.