Rare sightings of blue sharks close to the shores in France and Spain have provoked warnings and swimming bans on some popular beaches.
Bans were imposed on beaches in the south of France and Corsica for several days after a number of sharks were spotted close in. Six beaches near Barcelona had been closed for the same reason, but have now reopened.
Blue sharks are not known for attacking humans, with only nine recorded incidents. They rely on a diet of squid and small fish, which they prey upon in the open sea.
While they are very common in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, they rarely venture closer than six or seven miles from the shore.
The Shark Trust says that blue sharks – one of 46 different shark species in the Mediterranean – are "thought to be one of the most abundant and widespread large animals on the planet."
Last year, 72 shark attacks were recorded worldwide, nine fewer than in 2012. The United States had 47 attacks, Australia had 10 and South Africa had five. No other country had more than three.
