Angel Shark

Photo: Ben Jobson · CC BY

The Canary Islands host one of the world's last viable angel shark populations — this critically endangered elasmobranch has been extirpated from most of its former North Atlantic and Mediterranean range due to bycatch in demersal trawls and recreational fishing. Gran Canaria's sandy canyon floors provide ideal ambush habitat where angel sharks lie motionless and camouflaged, exploding upward to engulf passing fish in a strike lasting just a tenth of a second. The Angel Shark Project, based in the Canaries, collects sighting data from divers and snorkelers to track population health and movements across the archipelago.