Signs from fishing boats show that the mysterious "angel shark" appeared in Welsh waters, although no one knows the exact location. The only stronghold of this shark is the Canary Islands, and people photographed this shark at the bottom of the sea. Wales may be the main habitat of this critically endangered shark, which comes from an ancient and unique family.
Joanna Barker of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said: "If we lose the angel shark, we lose a very important species in evolutionary history, which we can't get from other shark species."
Some information about "angel shark"
1. A kind of "flat shark" spends most of its time hiding at the bottom of the sea, waiting for the arrival of fish.
2. Historical records show that the Welsh coast may be an important habitat besides the East Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
3. Due to a series of threats such as habitat disturbance, pollution and accidental catching, the range of angel sharks has been reduced.
Before becoming a protected species, "angel shark" was obviously a trophy in the 1970s and 1980s. She said there have been recent sightings in Cardigan Bay, Bristol Strait and northern Holyhead.
She added: "What we really want to know is what kind of sharks we are talking about, how many are there, and where they have important habitats, because there may be some areas in Wales that are very important to angel sharks."
A big question is whether "angel sharks" move back and forth in Wales, the Canary Islands or other places, and whether they are different populations.
Scientists say that genetic research using shark skin cotton swabs may give the answer. A diving program will be carried out later this year to find direct evidence of "angel shark".
"Angel shark" has recently been evaluated as an edge species like other sharks, rays and chimeras (fish with cartilage instead of bones)-an evolutionarily unique global endangered species. As a particularly precious shark species, it is at the end of a unique branch of the tree of life.