Sensation in Croatia

Fisherman nets spotted sea sow

The spotted sea sow is a rare shark species that is rarely found in the Adriatic (symbolic image).

(Bild: Wikimedia Commons/biodiversitygr)

A Croatian fisherman made the catch of his life: a spotted sea sow was caught in his net. This is a shark species that is considered highly endangered and has hardly been recorded in the Adriatic so far.

The spotted sea sow has been classified as critically endangered since 2020 and is strictly protected. The animal gets its name from its unusual mouth shape, which is reminiscent of a pig's snout, and it also has spines on its dorsal fin.

Fisherman Nikola Kosanovic caught one of these rare specimens in his net last weekend. "I fished the porpoise out of the Virsko More at a depth of around 52 meters," he said. Kosanovic then took a few photos of the sea creature and released it back into the wild.

Here you can see a picture of the spotted sea sow.

Lives more in other areas
The spotted sea sow lives at depths between 50 and 700 meters and forages on the seabed for food such as worms, crustaceans and bony fish. It usually lives in the East Atlantic, on the coast of Great Britain, on the Iberian coast, in the Bay of Biscay and on the coast of Senegal. Spotted sculpins are much rarer in the Adriatic Sea.

Adult animals can grow up to 150 centimetres long, but most are barely larger than half a meter. The animals have been classified as endangered since 2007 and as critically endangered since 2020. The shark species gives birth to seven to eight young per litter.