'Great White' shark in Cornwall

[Andy Moore]

Does anyone know why they are calling that shark on Sky News etc a Great White?

It looks -and appears to be acting- like a basking shark to me.

Here are a couple of pics I took last summer...

[alexm]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

Does anyone know why they are calling that shark on Sky News etc a Great White?

It looks -and appears to be acting- like a basking shark to me.

Here are a couple of pics I took last summer...

I agree, blatantly a basking shark.

The woman who took the video sold it to the Sun and now they want their money's worth is what it boils down to.

[Richard B]

I reckon it's just Mollers snorkelling with a fin on his back!

[Kernow Buoy]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I reckon it's just Mollers snorkelling with a fin on his back!

I'm not standing for that!
How dare you suggest that one of our locals is an unintelligent, blubbery, simple minded creature.

Sorry just read it again, oh yea, could well be Mollers.

[fred bolton]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

Does anyone know why they are calling that shark on Sky News etc a Great White?

.

Yes Jaws was being screened on the tv the same night and it was doing a spot of promotional finning around

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Kernow

I'm not standing for that!
How dare you suggest that one of our locals is an unintelligent, blubbery, simple minded creature.

Sorry just read it again, oh yea, could well be Mollers.

Highly developed predator at the top of the food chain if you don't mind.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Mollers

Highly developed predator at the top of the food chain if you don't mind.

I think we'll need a bigger boat...

[Nick Thomas]

Originally Posted by alexm

I agree, blatantly a basking shark.

The woman who took the video sold it to the Sun and now they want their money's worth is what it boils down to.

You've hit the nail right on the head! Gutter journalism milking a non-story for all it's worth.

You'll probably be seeing Sun Hacks sneaking out to distribute debris from butcher shops into PZ/St Ives waters over the next few nights!!...

[Tims Osprey]

The press always hype things up to the fullest and publishing propaganda is their specialty

however there is absolutely no reason why great white sharks do not some times visit are waters, the mako shark which is a cousin of the great white have been frequently spotted in our waters, also sea temperatures are well within their tolerance around the UK. 99% of the time its just a case of mistaken identity when people spot a shark (usually a porbeagle) they automatically think great white! the porbi is also a cousin of the great white and they do look slightly similar and so does the mako. Rare marine life thats not known to live in our waters does sometimes show up, like leather back turtles or tuna fish for instance, so with sea temperatures well within their tolerance and an abundance of food like seals the question is why don't we see great whites in our waters and not is there! i suspect the answer is that visits are so rare that they often go unnoticed and usually if one is spotted there's no one around at the time to make a positive identification.

[alexm]

Oh absolutely, I totally accept the argument that white sharks could be in British waters... my comments were based on having seen The Sun's video footage which in this case is a textbook basking shark!