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The word ‘shark’ conjures up in most people’s minds the image of something fast-moving and ferocious. Angel sharks don’t really fit into that image. They’re flat, with a squashed-looking head and they spend their lives on the sea bed, camouflaged and still, waiting for a fish or crustacean to come near enough to grab. But while they may not be very charismatic or good-looking, the angel shark could turn out to be one of the most significant and unique species we have off the coasts of Wales.

Angel sharks are pretty rare. Up until now it was thought that their only stronghold was the Canary Islands. But biologists have recently discovered that fishermen and anglers have been catching angel sharks off the coast of Wales for decades. So, are Welsh waters actually a key habitat for the species?

In this week’s programme Adam Walton finds out about a new Welsh scientific investigation into these mysterious fish. He meets Jake Davies, coordinator for the Angel Shark Project in WalesÌýand Ben Wray, marine ecologist and project manager for Natural Resources Wales. They’ve been running roadshows in Welsh coastal towns to find fishermen and anglers who’ve caught angel sharks over the years and, through their photographs and memories, get a better picture of their distribution. Adam also speaks to Paul Cox from conservation charity The Shark Trust to get an overview of shark populations globally.

We also look more broadly at how we keep track of rare and endangered species across the planet. Adam talks to Dr. Claudia Gray, Conservation Science Manager for EDGE of Existence, a Zoological Society of London programme which catalogues endangered species on the basis of how evolutionarily unique they are. And Science Cafe producer Jeremy Grange meets Dr. Ben Rowson, Senior Curator of Molluscs at the National Museum Wales, to explore the role of the taxonomist – the scientists whose mission is to identify, name and catalogue every species on the planet.

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The Angel Shark Project in Wales is a Zoological Society of London initiative, with funding fromÌýthe Heritage Lottery Fund Wales and the Welsh Government.

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