The sperm whale is dead. Its body has been drifting in the Mediterranean Sea since August 26. 

In the middle of the waters, more than 35 km off the coast of Sanary-sur-Mer, in the Var in France, the carcass of the sperm whale is devoured by two blue sharks. The scene was captured by the boat excursion agency Sanary Aventure Marine.

On the French coast, the Elasmed observatory considers that this is an “extremely rare phenomenon”. Due to the vagaries of the weather, it has not been possible to study it further. 

The body of the cetacean, as France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur points out , is currently in a maritime area of ​​87,500 km2, called the Pelagos Sanctuary, which guarantees the protection of marine mammals that frequent it. France, Italy and Monaco have given their agreement to preserve this area. 

According to the IUCN, or International Union for Conservation of Nature, the blue shark is “critically endangered,” and is one of the last large sharks in the Mediterranean. Marine biologist and president of the Ailerons association, Matthieu Lapinsk, confirms that the observation of these two sharks, capable of reproducing and as adults, is good news. However, it does show the lack of biodiversity in this area. “There should be much more diversity of species around this sperm whale. For example, hammerhead sharks, white sharks and the presence of about ten blue sharks would not have been surprising ,” adds Matthieu Lapinski.

The marine biologist is therefore sounding the alarm: “Today, the Mediterranean Sea is a dead zone for sharks and rays. There has been historical targeted fishing in the past, but also trawling areas, pollution of the food chain and climate change.”