Thursday, January 29, 2009

S.A Largest Bull Shark Caught-Loaded With Research Bling

An excited team with the South African Shark Conservancy caught what is now the largest Bull Shark on record in South Africa.

In a scene worthy of any action film, team members were towed 2 189km up the Breede River before the critter became tired enough to load up with tags and release:

Long-standing fishermen's tales of huge Zambezi sharks in the Breede River have been confirmed - and huge means just that.

Last week, researchers on an expedition to confirm the presence of this species - also known as bull sharks - not only caught one of these sharks, but the catch proved to be a world record at 4m (13 feet) and weighing more than half a ton.

Complete Story


Team tracking discoveries:

1.This Zambezi shark - who we have named Nyami Nyami (the Zambezi River god) is the largest of its kind known to science, measuring 4 metres total length. The previous known maximum length for this species was 3.4-3.5 metres;

2.The discovery of Nyami Nyami represents a significant range extension for Zambezi sharks in South Africa, as they were only known to occur to Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape;

3. Nyami Nyami
appeared heavily pregnant, suggesting the Breede River may serve as an important nursery ground for these sharks.

Editors Note: The tracking data coming back from this female is invaluable to the understanding of this species behaviour. Needless to say you do not want to be a fisherman in that region...or do you?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I learnt to windsurf there - always thought it was the great white to be warty of in the river mouth not the bull shark

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