Northerly range expansion and first confirmed records of the smalltooth sand tiger shark, Odontaspis ferox, in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Abstract

Three Odontaspis ferox (confirmed by mtDNA barcoding) were found in the English Channel and Celtic Sea in 2023 at Lepe, UK (50.7846, −1.3508), Kilmore Quay, Ireland (52.1714, −6.5937), and Lyme Bay, UK (50.6448, −2.9302). These are the first records of O. ferox in either country, and extend the species' range by over three degrees of latitude, to >52° N. They were ~275 (female), 433 (female), and 293 cm (male) total length, respectively. These continue a series of new records, possibly indicative of a climate change−induced shift in the species' range.