Forty-four sailors perished while another forty-two were injured in the incident. The two ships managed to make their way to the Greek island of Corfu for repairs. Nevertheless, the incident sparked off a diplomatic row at the time.

Then, three months ago, the wreckage of the HMS Volage was discovered in the Ionian Sea, but the discovery was only made public this month.

While using the liver as an energy store and for buoyancy is well documented in adult sharks, this study provides the first evidence of a decline in liver mass of newborn sharks, from 20% of body weight at birth to 6% when they start to feed themselves.

Research by a Bangor University-led international team found that during the critical period after birth, shark pups lose weight by consuming their liver reserves. This weight loss is not necessarily an indicaton that the sharks are in a poor nutritional state, as has been previously thought.