A Rare Great White “Ghost” Caught in the Mediterranean 

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OhOn April 20, 2023, a juvenile great white shark measuring approximately 83 inches long and weighing approximately 187 pounds was captured off the coast of Spain. This has been a news sensation ever since the great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), which were common in the Mediterranean in the Pleistocene, are rare there today.

This unusual encounter prompted researchers from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, in collaboration with the University of Cádiz, to explore records of great white sharks from 1862 to 2023. Most were direct encounters with sharks, but a handful consisted of interpretations of bite marks on stranded marine animal carcasses. The synthesis study, recently published in Acta Ichthyologica and Piscatoriashowed a minimal but continuing presence of great white sharks in Spanish coastal waters.

Swimmers in the area may be hesitant at this news, but researchers are excited, given the important role of great white sharks in their ecosystems. “As highly migratory pelagic species, they redistribute energy and nutrients over vast distances,” lead study author and biologist at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography José Carlos Báez said in a statement. “Even after they die, their descent to the seafloor provides an essential food source for deep-sea communities.”

Read more: “Lessons for the return of great white sharks”

Great white shark populations are classified as vulnerable and declining on the IUCN Red List. The main threats to their survival are bycatch in longlines, gillnets, trawls and other coastal fishing equipment. Case in point: The recently caught shark was caught by local fishermen targeting bluefin tuna in an area with deep canyons about 11 nautical miles off the coast of Spain’s eastern peninsula, Cabo de San Antonio.

According to the study, this is one of 62 great white shark sightings noted over 160 years of records. The other most recent dates back to 2018 during a scientific expedition. The study authors conclude that although Mediterranean great white sharks constitute an elusive “ghost” population, they nevertheless maintain a presence in these waters. Indeed, “the presence of juvenile specimens raises the question of whether active breeding can take place in the region,” Báez said.

It is also possible that the young shark was born elsewhere in known breeding grounds in the central Mediterranean, after which it migrated to Spain. Regardless, this is a rare example of a heartwarming sea ghost story.

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Main image: Balazs Fodor / Oceanic Image Bank

• Devin Reese

  Published on February 18, 2026

  Devin Reese is the editor-in-chief of Natural history and a science writer based in Alexandria, Virginia.