In a spectacular sighting on Tuesday, a rare shortfin mako shark, also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, was spotted not far off the coast of Israel's southernmost city of Eilat, on the Red Sea.
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A lifeguard at one of the city's beaches paddled toward the shark with a friend, Daniel Kirschenbaum, who photographed it.
The shortfin mako is a fairly large species of shark; an average adult specimen measures around 3.2 meters (10 feet) in length and weighs from 60–135 kilograms (132–298 pounds). It is also a fast swimmer that can leap into the air when hooked, making it a highly sought-after game fish worldwide.
Video: Daniel Kirschenbaum
The shortfin mako is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The "Sharks in Israel" association, an environmental conservation group that works to protect all species of sharks located along Israel's coasts, said: "Every year, there is at least one sighting of this bluest, most beautiful of sharks, which travels between the northern coast and the marina in the Gulf of Eilat."
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