Brits have been left concerned after a sea creature with an 'unusually' large fin was spotted lurking near the shore in Cornwall.
Though February definitely isn't the warmest time to go for a splash in the ocean, a warning was issued for surfers and others brave enough to take a winter dip after the fin was seen protruding from the water near Porthleven on Sunday (19 February).
A woman in Gunwalloe snapped a picture of the intimidating fin at about 11am, showing the creature lurking just beyond where the waves were crashing to shore.
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It's unclear exactly what kind of creature the fin belonged to, but one local said that even from 30 metres away the fin seemed to be too large for 'the average basking shark', which are typically between 6.7 and 8.8. metres long.
"I can't say what type of shark it is but doesn't look like the average basking shark so thought I would just mention its presence just in case," the local said as they shared the photo.
"Either way, dangerous or not, it's unusual to see any type of shark inshore this time of year and with a fin that size."
The image was shared with another warning on a Facebook page for Porthleven, where the poster suggested the fin belonged to a shark and said it had been spotted 'at the other end of the beach at Gunwalloe'.
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"Any winter swimmers might want to proceed with extreme caution as it looks rather large," they added.
The post led to a lot of speculation from locals attempting to guess what kind of creature could have been patrolling the water, with one commenting: "Too early for basking sharks, blue sharks ect [sic] although if sick they do tend to come closer. It could be a whale, a few have been spotted already."
Other Facebook users suggested the image could actually show the head of a seal rather than a fin, while one said whatever was protruding from the water looked similar to a 'great white dorsal fin'.
A variety of sharks can be found in the waters around Cornwall at various times of year, including the predatory blue shark, porbeagle, thresher shark and mako shark, as well as basking sharks and the endangered Porbeagle.
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Just last summer, a blue shark was spotted near Trelissick beach in a sighting described by Dan Jarvis, of the charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue, as 'worrying'.
Jarvis noted at the time that sharks don't typically come that close to beaches and feared that someone could become injured.
Emily Brown