A deep-sea shark, commonly known among seafarers as the ‘ramudo shark’, belonging to the genus ‘Centrophorus sp.’, washed ashore this afternoon in Funchal, more precisely on the beach next to the Madeira Cable Car.
According to Manuel Biscoito, from the Natural History Museum of Funchal, this species normally lives below 800 meters in depth, sometimes reaching two thousand metres. Accidentally, it can be caught in the fishing of the black scabbard fish.
The biologist, who was next to the animal, revealed that it was not yet possible to determine whether the fish would have died of natural causes or if it would have come loose from the hook, ending up ashore in Funchal. What is certain is that the animal will have died relatively recently, since it is in a good state of conservation.
Manuel Biscoito noted that the animal, which usually lives in temperate and tropical waters, is of conservation interest to the Natural History Museum of Funchal.
