Large shark shocks tourists near shore at beach in Spain

Tourists at a popular destination in Spain were shocked to see a large shark near the shoreline.

The fin could be seen piercing the surface near the Port of Palma in Majorca.

See also: Is there a great white shark in UK waters?

See also: Great white shark attacks diver cage (video)

According to The Sun, police were called to the scene, and officers tried to put a noose around its neck to move it away.

The authorities eventually managed to use boats to push the shark back out into open water.

The Mirror reports that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Mallorca believes the fish to be a blue shark.

The blue shark usually inhabits deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. Preferring cooler waters, blue sharks migrate long distances, such as from New England to South America. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

They feed primarily on small fish and squid, although they can take larger prey. They can grow up to around 3.3 metres (10.8ft).

According to Wikipedia, blue sharks rarely bite humans. From 1580 up until 2013, the blue shark was implicated in 13 biting incidents, four of which ended fatally.