By Helen
Briggs BBC News
4
December 2018
Some of
the world's most unusual sharks and rays are on the brink of extinction because
of threats such as commercial fishing, scientists have said.
A shark
that uses its tail to stun prey and a ray half the length of a bus are on the
list of 50 species.
The scientists
say sharks have a bad image and people do not understand how important and
threatened they are.
And
losing even one of these "living fossils" would wipe out millions of
years of evolutionary history.
"The
biggest myth around sharks is definitely the perception that they are
dangerous, that they are man-eating machines - they're not," marine
biologist Fran Cabada told BBC News.
"There
have been some negative interactions recorded but they are very infrequent and
they're not intentional."
This is the
first time sharks, rays and chimeras (fish with cartilage in place of bones)
have been assessed for the Edge (Evolutionarily
Distinct and Globally Endangered) of Existence programme.
Most
sharks are at the top of the food chain, which makes them crucial to the health
of the oceans.
Losing
them would have a big impact on other fish populations and, ultimately, human
livelihoods.
"They
have very few relatives on the tree of life, so they are very unique and losing
them will actually represent a big, big loss," said Fran Cabada.
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