Aggressive 6ft tope sharks are now living in London’s River Thames

General Chat In The News
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Seahorses, oysters, seals and critically endangered eels have also been found in the river’s first full health check since 1957.

The Zoological Society of London’s Alison Debney said the Thames now supports more than 115 species of fish, 92 species of bird and has almost 600 hectares of saltmarsh — a crucial wildlife habitat.

She added: “Estuaries provide us with clean water, protection from flooding and are an important nursery for wildlife.

  • I think this is brilliant that Nature is coming back to the River Thames :+1:
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@PixieKnuckles , l agree pixie , this has been going on for years now, and
even whales swim up on occasion !!
I am surprised that seahorses are found there now as they are are thought
to only survive when their enviroment is in a pristine condition ??
Donkeyman! :+1::grin::+1:

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Well there ya go then…if the seahorses are surviving in the Thames, that goes to show how clean it is! :+1: :potable_water:

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Lets all hope the Westminster sharks to not devour the sea sharks :wink: :+1:

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Damn you got in first. :grinning:

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Blimey … your news got me scared (the “Jaws” effect persists") … :scream:

… until I read this:

Tope shark

Scientific name: Galeorhinus galeus

This slender and elegant shark species is often found close to shore all around our coasts and can grow up to 6 feet long.

Length: Up to 195cm Weight: Up to 48kg Average Lifespan: Can live for over 50 years

The beautiful tope shark isn’t exactly what you’d call a picky eater! They feed on a variety of fish species but will also take crustaceans or cephalopods if the opportunity arises. Tagging studies have shown that Tope can travel huge distances and some individuals tagged in the UK have later been found as far away as the Canary Islands!

There has never been any record of an unprovoked Tope attack on humans, so no need to fear this elegant elasmobranch.

So it’s safe to go paddling again … :relieved:

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Yes…a wee paddle at the waters edge should be fine…its easier to scuttle away of you see anything untoward coming at you!

dun dun dun dun… :joy:

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oh please… Ive been catching tope in the Thames estuary for years.

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When i was a young teenager I read a book by a bloke who set up a shark fishing industry in Scotland. I didn’t realise that sharks travelled that far north. I forget what they harvested sharks for but I don’t think it was a very successful venture.

Now many sharks are a protected specie and i presume that applies world wide, however shark in the form of Flake is the best fish to eat.

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There an abundance of smooth hound off the coast here and small local boats bring it in to sell within minutes of arriving :+1:

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It’s great news that wildlife is returning though. It just shows that the damage pollution does can be reversed.

The Thames did look cleaner and less smellie last time I visited than it did in my childhood.

The eels want to be careful about coming back, though, us Londoners will only eat them ….

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Tope are not aggressive, there has only ever been one recorded attack on a human by a Tope & that was on an angler who had caught one & he simply got a bite on the leg. So hardly an attack.

A pub in the town local to where I grew up is called The Wash & Tope. Partly because Tope used to be readily caught in the Wash.

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On a par with snails and frogs legs - quite revolting!

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It must be all that raw sewage that attracts them

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Ruddy lovely, Silver Tabby, you don’t know what you’re missing! :rofl:

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Nah, it’s the sewage that kills them off, what they’re coming back for is the cocaine! :crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face:

London eels hyperactive on cocaine

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I’d never heard of Tope sharks and discovered they are around the Australian coast from SE Queensland south and round to Perth. Apparently they are a School Shark, harmless and good eating.

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There you go…