The beaches along the Playa de Palma have been re-opened again after the weekend shark scare.

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Bathers were allowed back in the water off the Playa de Palma yesterday after no further sightings of the shark which forced the authorities to ban swimming over the weekend were reported. A member of the coast guards spotted the shark again on Sunday morning, which prompted the red flag to be hoisted and sunbathers told not to swim. The presence of the shark, which witnesses have said was between 1.5 and 2 metres in length, caused some concern but yesterday marine experts said that the species of sharks in Balearic waters do not feed off human flesh, but could not rule out the presence of a shark posing a threat to humans and it could attack - confused over what the food was. Marine biologist Ana Maria Abrial said yesterday that the normal diet of sharks common in the Balearic waters, consists of squid, octopus and other sea food and the Mediterranean shark usually remains in deep water and rarely comes in close to beaches. They are also frequently caught by local fishermen and, more often than not, used for making shark soup. Never do they attack anything larger than themselves, hence why an attack on a fully grown human is highly unlikely. The sharks rarely grow beyond two metres in length. However, a young child could find itself at risk.