1. The Mediterranean Sea represents an area of elevated risk of extinction for sharks, where data deficiency is a pervasive problem.
2. To compensate for such a paucity of information, this study investigated the use of social media content as a complementary approach to evaluate the distribution and habitat use of the Critically Endangered blue shark Prionace glauca in coastal waters, as well as public perceptions of the sharks.
3. Through social media data mining a total of 146 records, comprising 158 individual blue sharks approaching Italian coastal waters, have been recorded from 2011 to 2020.
4. This study revealed that, over the past decade, blue sharks regularly visited Italian coastal habitats for extended periods of time. Differences in the temporal distribution of blue sharks by sex and size appear to be linked to reproductive activity. The higher number of adult females approaching the shore in spring and the increase in young-of-the-year (YOY) sightings in the following months possibly indicate parturition in coastal waters. Spatial analyses also showed that certain Italian coastal areas, such as those in Calabria and Puglia, were preferred coastal habitats for this species.
5. Results also indicate that social media platforms can be considered an ever-growing source of data on wildlife, which can shed light on the occurrence and distribution of endangered shark species in poorly known habitats. Furthermore, social media platforms should be used for awareness campaigns to educate the public, as this study showed that negative reactions to shark encounters remain widespread.

中文翻译：

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数据挖掘社交媒体平台突出了地中海极度濒危蓝鲨 Prionace glauca 的保护行动

1. 地中海是鲨鱼灭绝风险较高的地区，数据缺乏是一个普遍存在的问题。
2. 为了弥补这种信息的缺乏，本研究调查了社交媒体内容的使用作为一种补充方法，以评估沿海水域极度濒危蓝鲨Prionace glauca的分布和栖息地利用，以及公众对鲨鱼的看法。
3. 通过社交媒体数据挖掘，从 2011 年到 2020 年共记录了 146 条记录，其中包括 158 只接近意大利沿海水域的蓝鲨个体。
4. 这项研究表明，在过去十年中，蓝鲨经常长时间访问意大利沿海栖息地。蓝鲨按性别和大小的时间分布差异似乎与繁殖活动有关。春季接近海岸的成年雌性数量较多，并且接下来几个月中青年 (YOY) 目击事件的增加可能表明在沿海水域分娩。空间分析还表明，某些意大利沿海地区，例如卡拉布里亚和普利亚地区，是该物种的首选沿海栖息地。
5. 结果还表明，社交媒体平台可以被视为一个不断增长的野生动物数据来源，这可以揭示濒危鲨鱼物种在鲜为人知的栖息地中的发生和分布。此外，应使用社交媒体平台开展宣传活动，以教育公众，因为这项研究表明，对鲨鱼遭遇的负面反应仍然普遍存在。