Was Carcharocles megalodon, the monstrous whale eater and star of so many books and movies, an obligate scavenger? Best-selling paleo-fiction author Max Hawthorne believes that, while younger Megalodons were active hunters, adults got the lion’s share of their calories from drifting whale carcasses. “It comes down to physics and tooth morphology,” said Hawthorne, who does extensive marine life […]
OCEARCH reveals possible great white gathering spot in Atlantic
Years of study tracking sharks in the Atlantic Ocean may have revealed a warm-weather aggregation point for great white sharks, according to OCEARCH. Researchers have dubbed this region as the Northwest Atlantic Shared Foraging Area (NASFA). Satellite tracking data from the OCEARCH Tracker database system revealed, since 2012, the Atlantic continental shelf waters off North Carolina, South […]
Jayson ‘The Fossil Guy’ Kowinsky: Digging up a passion for ancient sharks
This guest column is brought to you by Jayson Kowinsky, more commonly known as “The Fossil Guy.” He is the Avocational Liaison to the Paleontological Society and also runs Fossilguy.com. Jayson loves to share his interest in paleontology and prehistoric sharks, and helps enthusiasts get involved in the field of professional paleontology. Chiseling away […]
Why do sharks dive?
By Michelle Wheeler, Particle Is it to regulate their body temperature? Conserve energy? Find food? Tiger sharks at Ningaloo Reef are thought to search the seafloor for prey as they dive down and scan for silhouettes as they swim up to the surface. But could there be other reasons why the sharks continuously move […]
Do sharks sneeze?
By Jane Williamson, Associate Professor in Marine Ecology, Macquarie University When an animal sneezes, it’s their way of getting rid of annoying bits and pieces that have floated inside their nose and mouth. While many animals, including humans, elephants, pandas and even seals, can sneeze, sharks unfortunately cannot. To be able to sneeze, an animal […]
Study: Sharks become less nimble as they age
Just like old uncle Frank, several species of sharks tend to become slower and less agile as they age, a new study from Florida Atlantic University has found. In a a joint effort by FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, scientists examined cartilage mechanics […]
Fossil record used to discover ‘lost shark’
A new species of whaler shark, Carcharhinus obsolerus, has been identified based on three specimens originally collected from the Western Central Pacific in the 1940s. William White, Peter Kyne and Mark Harris described their findings in the latest issue of the journal PLOS One. The researchers believe that this species might already be extinct, however, which is why they […]
New shark species named in honor of late conservationist Rob Stewart
A new species of deep-water catshark has been named in honor of underwater filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart. The new species, Bythaelurus stewarti, was detailed in this month’s PLOS One by Simon Wiegman and associates. The discovery was based on 121 examined specimens caught on the Error Seamount in the northwestern Indian Ocean. The family Scyliorhinidae, comprising all catsharks of […]
DNA testing the latest tool for fighting illegal shark fin trade
A multi-national research team has developed a rapid DNA identification method to help customs inspectors detect illegally traded wildlife products, beginning with sharks. The DNA testing protocol, published last month, detects nine of 12 commonly traded shark species quickly enough to enable officials to determine whether a shipment requires further inspection. The researchers focused on sharks because […]
New research shows megalodon may have been warm-blooded
New research from a team of biologists from DePaul University, William Paterson University and the University of California — Los Angeles, suggests that the massive ocean predator megalodon may have been warm-blooded and that this may have ultimately resulted in its demise as a species. The team used a system called ‘clumped’ isotope thermometry to […]
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