Fish
Porbeagle
Lamna nasus · also called porbeagle shark
Off the Cornish coast, a porbeagle cruises beneath a shoal of mackerel, a stout, powerful shark built to hunt in cold water.
Overview
The porbeagle, Lamna nasus, is a Vulnerable shark of the cool North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere, and a close relative of the great white and the mako. Its stout, fast, warm-bodied build and heavy fishing history make it one of the best-known and most threatened sharks of British waters.
A shark that has had to be protected
Because porbeagles grow slowly and have few young, populations cannot recover quickly from heavy fishing, which is why landings are restricted in many waters.
Status
Vulnerable, with north-eastern Atlantic populations depleted.
Porbeagle: common questions
Is the porbeagle related to the great white?
Yes, it belongs to the same family as the great white and the mako, and like them it keeps parts of its body warmer than the surrounding water.
How does a porbeagle reproduce?
It gives birth to a small litter of live young, whose embryos feed on unfertilised eggs inside the mother.
Why is the porbeagle threatened?
It was heavily fished for its meat and fins, and populations in the north-eastern Atlantic collapsed.
Where is the porbeagle found?
It lives in cool temperate waters of the North Atlantic and the Southern Hemisphere, from the shore to deep ocean.