4-metre Zambezi shark caught in Breede River

The South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) caught a 4-metre Zambezi (bull) shark on an expedition on the Breede River in January 2009. The shark is the largest of its kind known to science, the SASC says. The previous known maximum length for Zambezi sharks was 3.4- to 3.5-metres.

The shark also appeared to be heavily pregnant, which, the SASC says, suggests that the Breede River may be a nursery ground for the sharks.

Previously the species was known to occur as far south as Cape St Francis in the Eastern Cape, so the discovery of the shark in the Breede river is a significant range extension for the species in South Africa, says the SASC.

The shark, which researchers named Nyami Nyami after the Zambezi river god, was caught on the fourth day of an expedition by a professional angler about 5.5km upstream. The shark towed the boat for 2.5km before it was landed on mud banks. The shark was tagged so that researchers could follow her movements.

‘We proceeded to track Nyami Nyami for 43 consecutive hours which, as far as we know, is the longest time this species has been tracked. She moved up and down the estuary, following fishing boats and looking for an easy source of food, swimming as far as 15km upriver,’ the SASC writes on its blog.

The group is looking to raise funding so it can continue studying the animal on the Breede river.

Notebook

• The South African Shark Conservancy
• You can see pictures of the shark on the conservancy’s blog
• This post was originally published on 28 January 2009. Links were updated on 30 June 2023