Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the river… Charlotte Webb was strolling along London's River Thames when she spotted what she thought was a bean bag on the water. Upon further examination, she realized the video she captured (below) depicted a fin belonging to a shark of approximately five feet in length.
The fin "is potentially a great sign of life within the Thames that should be celebrated," Webb said.
From MSN:
At least five different species of shark are known to live in the Thames estuary, including the endangered tope shark, starry smooth-hound and spurdog, according to the Greater Thames Shark Project, run by the Zoological Society of London.
The tope and starry smoothhounds "give birth to live young" and it is believed they use the estuary as "nursery habitats for young shark pups".
However, the sighting – over 40 miles from the estuary – does raise the question how it might have arrived there.
Richard Peirce, a shark conservationist and chairman of the Shark Trust, suggested the apparent shark might have become lost or disoriented following high tides the night before.