The largest inventory of species was conducted on the French Mediterranean coast, a world first. Among the surprises, the rediscovery of the angel shark which was thought to have disappeared in the area.
Up to 2.40 m. The angel shark is a very large cartilaginous fish, with a flat, spotted body and very large wing-like fins. This highly endangered species was believed to live only offshore, far, far from the coast. However, Squatina squatina, its scientific name, was found thanks to the environmental DNA technique used during the major inventory campaign of the Mediterranean coast, BiodivMed, the first results of which were revealed this Wednesday, May 22 in Montpellier (Hérault ).
“It’s our totem animal, we are in the process of discovering these last habitats,” says David Mouillot, ecologist at Montpellier University and leader of this gigantic marine inventory. “For years it was considered to have completely disappeared from our coasts,” adds Pierre Boissery, responsible for expertise on marine environments for the Rhône Méditerranée Corse water agency. Moreover, when environmental DNA revealed the presence of this fish, we initially thought it was an error.
