Spanish scientists are investigating whether great white sharks are in waters off an up-and-coming holiday hotspot.

The world's largest known predatory fish is known to inhabit parts of the Mediterranean Sea - and now researchers are looking into whether the species could be living far further north than previously thought. 

Sightings are rare in Spain, however, a live great white shark was seen off the coast of Cabrera in the Balearic Islands back in 2018.

New information now suggests that the sharks may now be breeding off the northern coast of Spain. 

Pablo Garcia, of The Save the Mediterranean Expedition, told the Spanish newspaper El Correo: "The presence of sharks on the Cantabrian coast is normal, but it is not common to see them, since there are very few specimens."

Expert Pablo Garcia Salinas said to El Pais: "The females in the Atlantic could be using the Mediterranean as a kind of nursery: they would go there to give birth and, when the pups grew, they would leave through the Strait of Gibraltar."

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Several shark sightings off Gran Canaria this year:

In June, terrified tourists screamed and ran for safety when a shark made a sudden dash towards land on a popular Spanish island beach.

A video shared on social media showed people in the surf in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria when a tell-tale fin was spotted close to the shoreline.

In the clip, the large shark of an undetermined species suddenly makes a beeline for the sandy shore, where several people are lying on the sand sunning themselves.