A pair of fishermen came under attack from a 10ft shark in the north of Scotland, it was revealed yesterday.
The anglers filmed the shark as it circled and then rammed into the side of their boat. The shark is thought to be a porbeagle, an endangered species rarely seen so close to the shoreline.
In the video, posted on website YouTube, the shark appears to move away from the boat, before returning to launch its attack, sparking panicked cries from the anglers. The incident was filmed in Balintore Bay off Easter Ross in the Highlands.
Lauren Smith, of Aberdeen University, who is in her final year of a PhD in shark research, said the shark was acting out of curiosity and posed no real threat.
She said: "Porbeagles are known to be inquisitive and have approached people and boats before. I have seen them at the bottom of oil rigs in the North Sea looking at what divers are doing.
"It looks like it's been attracted by the fish or the fish oil, and it could have been close to pupping which might also excite it.
"It's actually really nice to see one given how the fisheries depleted their numbers, and certainly they are still on the vulnerable list."
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