Family find dead baby shark washed up on beach in Blackpool

A dead baby shark has been found washed up on Bispham beach.
Manchester mum Jenny Fowler said her children found a baby hound-shark on the beach in Bispham yesterday (Wednesday, June 2) whilst holidaying for the half-term. Pic: Jenny FowlerManchester mum Jenny Fowler said her children found a baby hound-shark on the beach in Bispham yesterday (Wednesday, June 2) whilst holidaying for the half-term. Pic: Jenny Fowler
Manchester mum Jenny Fowler said her children found a baby hound-shark on the beach in Bispham yesterday (Wednesday, June 2) whilst holidaying for the half-term. Pic: Jenny Fowler

A family from Manchester holidaying in the resort for the half-term found the deceased shark yesterday morning (Wednesday, June 2).

Mum Jenny Fowler said her and her children went to investigate after they spotted seagulls frantically feasting on the beach.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As they got closer, the gulls took off, revealing a small, partly-eaten baby shark around 40 inches long.

Jenny said her children excitedly searched the internet to identify the shark species, which they believe is a smooth hound-shark.

While they can grow up to 6ft 6inches (200cm), their usual maximum size is 4ft-5ft, with a weight of around 25lbs.

Did you know? The common smooth-hound shark will group in large numbers, like a pack of dogs. This is why they are called 'hounds'.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But with an average birth length of just over 1ft (35cm), the shark found on Bispham beach is likely a baby which has found itself washed up on the sands.

Mum Jenny Fowler said her children spotted seagulls frantically feasting on 'something' on the beach. As they got closer, the gulls took off, revealing a small, partly-eaten baby shark around 40 inches long. Pic: Jenny FowlerMum Jenny Fowler said her children spotted seagulls frantically feasting on 'something' on the beach. As they got closer, the gulls took off, revealing a small, partly-eaten baby shark around 40 inches long. Pic: Jenny Fowler
Mum Jenny Fowler said her children spotted seagulls frantically feasting on 'something' on the beach. As they got closer, the gulls took off, revealing a small, partly-eaten baby shark around 40 inches long. Pic: Jenny Fowler

This shallow water shark species is reportedly found more often on the south and western coasts of the British Isles, making these underwater visitors to the Lancashire coast an exciting discovery for Jenny and her family.

And the hound-sharks are not the only special marine visitors to the Blackpool coast this half-term.

On the same day as the Fowler family's shark discovery, a number of eagle-eyed residents reportedly caught sight of dolphins further up the shore at Starr Gate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Reports of the sightings were shared by Blackpool Council, who said 7 dolphins were spotted on Tuesday (June 1) and another 11 yesterday.

Read More
Did you spot this huge military plane flying over Blackpool and Preston at the w...

*Have you been lucky enough to spot any sharks or dolphins off the coast of Blackpool recently? If so, share your pictures or videos with our readers in our Facebook comments!

Support us and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day.

With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.