ITS LARGE black eyes glare angrily out of its bullet- shaped head and its teeth are like a tangled piece of barbed wire.

The 12ft predator could be coming to reside in the waters of the Solent.

Closely related to the great white shark, they have attacked humans and experts believe a shortfin mako shark could be feeding close to the shoreline of north-east England after large numbers of dead porpoises were found, many with chunks bitten out of them.

Lisa Browning, marine officer with The Wildlife Trust, said that it might not be unlikely for the mako shark, pictured right, to move to the waters of the south if global warming continues.

This breed of shark is notorious for its speed and ferocity. More than 45 dead porpoises - five times the usual numbers - have been found along the north-east coast in the past two weeks, some with 12in bites on their torso.

Decapitated seals have also been found, along with remnants of other large fish.

Experts say the size of the bites and the number of kills would be consistent with a large mako shark in the area.

But, surprisingly, there is far more going on beneath the calm waters of the south than we realise - sharks up to 20ft long are making the area their home.

Lisa said: "There are lots of species of shark currently living in the waters of the south coast.

"All sharks are predatory so it isn't strictly true to say that some species of shark are harmless.

"There are some very large sharks living in the area, such as porbeagle sharks and thresher sharks."

Thresher sharks can grow up to 20ft and are strong swimmers who can completely vault out of water. They are not aggressive but can be if provoked.

Meanwhile, the porbeagle shark grows up to 12ft and is considered potentially dangerous.

These are not the only species of sharks which are making the south of England their home

"Tope sharks are regularly caught by anglers off of the east of the Isle of Wight," she added.

These sharks, also known as the soup fin shark are highly prized in Asia for their fins which are used for shark fin soup.

The tope shark is considered harmless to humans because of its small size and its preference for small prey items.

However, according to the International Shark Attack File, one unprovoked attack on a human has been attributed to this species.

The tope shark should be treated cautiously if captured and landed to avoid injuries.

Marine biologists have reported a growing number of exotic fish and marine creatures in British waters.

Climate change has pushed up water temperatures, resulting in regular sightings of the smooth hammerhead shark, which is not dangerous to humans.

The once rarely seen red mullet, black bream and cuttlefish are now being caught in fishermen's nets as far north as the Isle of Man.

Japanese and Portuguese oysters - previously imported into Britain but unable to live in the cold water - have started to breed in British waters, as have the compass jellyfish and leathery sea squirt, which is originally from the Pacific.

"In the past 100 years water temperature around the coast of the UK has increased by 0.5C," said Lisa.

"This may sound like a very small amount but it is sufficient to make a big difference to our marine wildlife.

"The shift is subtle but over a long time it can have a profound effect.

"The temperature rise of seawater can affect the survival of fish eggs and also may cause alien species to move into the area."

Dr Ken Collins of Southampton Oceanography Centre added: "I know of a Isle of Wight fisherman who managed to catch a 340lb big eye thresher shark.

"Everyone is hoping to hit the headlines with the first sighting of a great white shark in our waters - but I think that will be very unlikely for the foreseeable future."

FACTFILE

Shortfin makos are the world's fastest sharks, able to swim up to 60mph, and can leap spectacularly out of the water when in pursuit of prey, reaching heights of 20ft.

Shortfin makos can reach up to 4m, but the average for a female is 3.37m and for males is 2.4m.

Their skin is a metallic blue with a white belly. Makos have a conical snout with long, thin teeth.

Renowned for their endurance, they can swim more than 1,320 miles - the equivalent of London to Athens - in just 37 days.

They inhabit all tropical and warm temperate seas, from the surface to moderately deep levels.

They can elevate their body temperature, enabling them to swim in cold water.

Killed for their tender meat in Asia, they are the tenth most endangered creatures on Earth.

They hunt small schooling fish, squid and octopus, and are an important predator of large pelagic fish including tuna and swordfish. They also prey on some species of dolphin.

They are considered to be dangerous to humans although there are few reliable records of attacks.