# @rspb on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CRyQUjJhCVg
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34270717-rspb-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/eea60de952.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-07-26T09:23:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** RSPB (@rspb) — https://gondola.cc/rspb

## Caption

We’re so excited by the recent and incredibly rare sighting of a thresher shark off the coast of Rathlin Island by one of our visitor experience officers Ruby_Free_! 🦈 

Did you know…

🛑 Thresher sharks have been listed as vulnerable to extinction since 2007 by the World Conservation Union. Spotting one so close to the coastline is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

🧊 They have evolved to be endothermic in order to survive the cold UK waters. This means that they can keep their body temperature higher than that of the surrounding water.

🎣 Thresher Sharks can reach up to 6.1 meters in length - about half of which comes from their extremely long tail. They use this tail to hunt by thrashing it like a whip at fish, stunning them and making them easier to catch. (They're basically the Indiana Jones of the sea!)

🌊  Thresher sharks are not a threat to humans and will often swim away from divers out of fear! They are more vulnerable to being hunted by fisherman for their unique tails and are a bycatch of tuna fishing. 

🦈 They are Lamniformes, otherwise known as mackerel sharks. This family of sharks includes basking sharks, mako sharks, and the famous great white shark. The thresher shark is also related to the prehistoric terror, the megalodon shark!

Happy #NationalMarineWeek 💙

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## Tags

nationalmarineweek

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