A “health check” on the Thames has revealed a variety of animals, including seahorses, eels, seals, and venomous sharks.
The first ever State of the Thames Report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) includes evidence of tope sharks, which can grow to 6ft long, houndsharks and venomous spurdog sharks.
The improved water quality and oxygen concentrations in London’s 215-mile river allow the sharks to give birth and nurse their young in the estuary.
An aggressive shark breed called the Tope shark was found in the Thames. This shark is hunted throughout the world for its fins.
Approximately 60 years ago, the capital city’s river was declared “biologically dead.” However, more creatures have been found in the region, including sharks like tope and starry smooth-hound, as well as spurdogs – slender fish that measure 23 inches in length and are covered in venomous spines.
Spurdog sharks are found in deep water, and their dorsal fin spines secrete venom that causes pain and swelling in humans.
