‘Suicidal’ 8ft-long giant shark with serrated teeth washes up on Brit-favourite holiday beach ‘determined to die’
AN EIGHT-feet long “suicidal” shark washed up on a Brit-favourite holiday beach in Spain before dying on the spot.
The giant beast with serrated teeth was found on Ocata Beach in El Masnou – just 10 miles from Barcelona.
It is understood that the creature found was a blue shark that had attacked people in the past.
Beach authorities said they found the shark last week on Thursday morning while exercising on the sand.
The sea was rough at the time and the animal appeared tired, they added.
Locals around the area then tried to push the shark back into the sea in deep waters in a bid to save its life.
But their efforts went in vain as strong waves slammed the shark back onto the coast every time it was put into water.
They then called experts who advised them to leave it alone as they believed the shark had likely come ashore to die.
By the time help arrived on the scene, the shark was dead.
Rescuers then cordon off the area to prevent people from approaching its huge dead body.
The Foundation for the Conservation and Recovery of Marine Animals performed a necropsy on the beast.
They said the shark had “marks from fishing interactions on its caudal and dorsal fins”.
Blue sharks are known for their distinctive teeth.
Their upper teeth are triangular and curved with serrated edges and overlapping bases.
While their lower set of teeth are more straight and slender with finely serrated edges.
How dangerous are blue sharks?
THE great blue shark is known for its attractive metal blue-coloured upper body that helps them to blend well in deep ocean waters.
Most adult blue sharks measure around 8ft to 10ft in length – but some may end up growing up to a whopping 13ft.
They have a long, sleek body and an elongated conical snout.
They are often seen swimming slowly at the surface with the tips of their dorsal and caudal fins out of the water.
Generally, blue sharks are known to be docile creatures and are not usually aggressive towards humans.
They are curious creatures who may end up approaching boats and yachts with humans onboard.
However, there have been a few recorded cases of great blue sharks attacking humans.
Last year, a diver was ferociously attacked by a blue shark in the calm waters of a Valencian beach in Spain.
Luckily he was rescued shortly and was used to the hospital for treatment.
In 2022, a British woman was bitten off by a massive blue shark just near the coast of Cornwall.
El Masnou is regarded as one of the best stretches of sand within half an hour of the city.
It’s popular with Brits, who go there to avoid the crowds of Barcelona’s urban beaches.
It comes after a monster 15ft prehistoric shark with six rows of teeth was found just three miles from Benidorm.
The giant beast was spotted dead in the sea by local sailors off the coast of Altea last month.
The fishermen informed authorities of their terrifying discovery and the shark was soon hauled into port at the popular Spanish resort.
Researchers measured the shark and found it to be a whopping (15ft 1in) long.
They also took skin, parasite and tooth samples to study the little-known species further.
The deceased specimen has since been identified as a bluntnose sixgill shark.
Found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide at depths of almost 6,562ft, it is the largest shark that inhabits the seabed of the Mediterranean.
Also known as the cow shark, the beast has six rows of saw-like teeth on its lower jaw and smaller teeth on its upper jaw.
It feeds exclusively on dead animals, although its diet is said to be widely varied by region, and can grow up to 20ft long.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature categorises it as “near threatened”, meaning it may be vulnerable to endangerment shortly.
In 2019, terrifying footage showed the moment deep sea researchers come eyeball-to-eyeball with a bluntnose sixgill shark twice the size of their submarine.
Venturing into the waters off Cape Eleuthera in the Bahamas, the team from OceanX dived down to more than 2,624ft below sea level to find the predator.
Two years earlier, a Blue Planet II producer told how an attack by seven 20ft sharks left his crew fearing for their lives.
The BBC1 team were in a submersible nearly half a mile down when the bluntnose sixgill beasts tried to smash it.
Elsewhere, tourists were banned from swimming in the sea at a Menorcan beach earlier this month after a huge shark was seen lurking near the shore.