By Susanne Masters
Being mistaken for a relative is unfortunate when that relative is the great white shark. Porbeagles (Lamna nasus) don’t have the sensational and often fictional media profile of their larger relative the great white. But since porbeagles are indeed sharp-toothed sharks perhaps the first thing an outdoor swimmer wants to know is: who gets bitten by them? The answer is fishermen.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
With 90% of their diet consisting of bony fish and their second most consumed food being squid, porbeagles are not looking to eat people. Occasionally in a case of mistaken identity some sharks bite people when they mistake surfers for seals. But not porbeagles since they don’t eat seals or other marine mammals.