There is panic in the popular Turkish resort of Marmaris – this time the danger has come from the sea. A video went viral on social networks, and then in the news, where a large shark appeared among people relaxing on the beach and swimming in the sea. The fish was chased away with oars and fists on the head – after which it left. The authorities of the resort assure tourists that it is not a shark, but a very similar marlin fish that is safe for humans. But tourists do not want to check this with their health, especially after the recent incidents in Hurghada, where a shark tore off parts of two female tourists.
According to Turkish media, those who filmed the video say that a large shark swam up to the people on the beach. The incident occurred at a relatively shallow depth – only about 1.5 meters. The shark did not attract attention at first, but then, when it was spotted, there was panic. As a result, the predator was driven away with fists and improvised objects – either a mop or an oar.
According to comments from local scientists, panic may be useless – yes, the professor of Mugla University, Yasin Ilyemin, wrote on his account on social networks that this fish is not a shark, but a Mediterranean stingray (Tetrapturus belone), which is often confused with a shark. back swimmer, but it is safe for tourists, the expert assured. He also added that this is not the first time panic has erupted over a shark.
The author of the video, however, does not agree with the biologist. He is certain that the creature he saw and recorded was a shark: “What I saw was a shark. You also hear in the video, people next to me say that it’s a big shark,” he said.
In a statement, the municipality of Marmaris supports the biologists. They say a fish spotted on a public beach and believed to be a shark was a Mediterranean marlin. And tourists are told the following: “You don’t need to take a mop with you when you swim in the sea.”
However, against the background of Egyptian news, tourists are scared. We will remind you, that on Friday, a shark attacked a tourist who was swimming in the very south of Hurghada in the area of the Sahl Hashish Bay, right on the beach of a luxury hotel. As a result of the predator’s attack, she received terrible injuries – the shark bit her arm and leg. The victim was taken to the hospital, but it was too late: according to Egyptian media, the woman died from her injuries. They also specified that the deceased was a tourist from the EU, a citizen of Austria. She was the first victim of a sea predator. Later it became known about the second victim – a 44-year-old tourist from Romania. Read the details at link.
Our reference: we are talking about a fish, which is also called Mediterranean spearfish, or Mediterranean marlin (lat. Tetrapturus belone), a species of ray-finned fish from the marlin family (Istiophoridae). The maximum length of such a fish can reach almost 2.5 m – that is, it can be mistaken for a shark; the maximum weight is up to 70 kg. A characteristic feature of the fish, which also makes it look like a shark, is two dorsal fins. The fish lives in the Mediterranean Sea, in the surface layers of the water, tourists, as you can easily guess, are not included in its production – mainly the predator hunts schooling fish.