Angelshark

The angelshark is one of the most critically endangered elasmobranch species in the world, with the Canary Islands now representing one of its last remaining population strongholds in the eastern Atlantic. It is a benthic ambush predator that partially buries itself in sandy substrate and strikes upward at passing fish with extreme speed, jaw to prey contact taking less than 100 milliseconds. Conservation monitoring programmes operating around Lanzarote use diver-submitted sighting records, making recreational divers active contributors to the species' management.