The sightings, by two brothers, Francisco and Armando del Rosario, professional divers and underwater photographers, has led biologists to believe that the sandtiger shark could be a more frequent visitor to inshore waters in El Hierro than previously imagined. And the reason could be they seek the shelter provided to give birth to their young.
The species is more at home in the depths of the ocean, at some 400 metres or so, but the various sightings reported by the brothers over the years they have dived in El Hierro, have all been in shallower waters. And, most tellingly, pregnant females nearly four metres long.
They have all been seen in the Mar de las Calmas area off El Hierro where they appear to remain for about a week after which they vanish, presumably after giving birth, and return to the deep sea.
And if the mere mention of sharks conjures up Spielberg visions of bloody limbs and fleeing bathers, think again. This no great white Jaws though it has the unmistakable classic shark look. The sandtiger has never been known to attack a human, and its diet is comfortingly restricted to small bony fish, squid and crustaceans.