MIAMI– Oceanic whitetip sharks move with extreme efficiency, exploiting physics to maximize their energy surplus for both hunting and downtime. A team of scientists that included shark biologists, an aerospace engineer and statisticians spent several years developing precise calculations based on the oceanic whitetip’s average size, swimming location, water temperatures, location of prey in the […]
Research shows complex social network of sharks
Although historically seen as solitary animals, new research being presented here shows sharks may have a more complex social structure than previously thought. Using tracking devices to trace the movements of individual animals in the open ocean, researchers found that Sand Tiger sharks form complex social networks that are typically seen in mammals but rarely […]
New shark named after Alabama coaching legend Bear Bryant
A new species of ancient shark has been named in honor of Alabama football coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant. The species, Cretalamna bryanti, was discovered by scientists studying fossils housed in the collections of the McWane Science Center and the Alabama Museum of Natural History. The large-toothed shark lived during the Late Cretacious Period nearly 83 […]
Study shows shark species can be vegetarians
A new study presented at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology’s annual meeting showed that bonnethead sharks can survive on a vegetarian diet. The research by Samantha Leigh, a doctoral candidate at the University of California-Irvine, examined the stomach contents for the species and found that over 60 percent of the material in their stomachs of younger specimens was […]
Tagged tiger shark shows lengthy migration path
Not freezing temperatures or nor’easters or Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose or Maria can stop “Andy,” a tiger shark tagged in Bermuda by scientists from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) in 2014. Travelling approximately 37,565 miles off the eastern coast of the United States and around Bermuda, the Bahamas and Turks and […]
Great whites popping up off the coast of Florida
With water temperatures plummeting throughout their usual habitats, great white sharks sightings off the coast of Florida have been plentiful recently. The behavior has become a regular occurrence for the species as they seek the warmer water and ample feeding grounds of the Sunshine State. Savannah, a 460-pound female shark that was tagged as part […]
Shark scavenging research reveals forensic clues
Shark feeding habits are helping scientists identify marks on human bones found in the ocean. By analyzing shark scavenging behavior, the University of Florida’s C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory identified which marks were left behind by sharks, what species of sharks made the marks and where the feedings might have occurred. Most research focuses on […]
New England cold snap leaves sharks in shock
Three thresher sharks were found dead Massachusetts’s Cape Cod Bay this week as temperatures plunged following a cold front this week that caused sub-freezing temperatures across most of the country. Experts believed that the sharks died due to cold shock. Temperatures in the area were as low as five degrees. The three thresher sharks were all […]
Researchers pull in 500-year old Greenland shark
Scientists collecting specimens during a research expedition in the North Atlantic Ocean caught what is estimated to be a 500-year-old Greenland shark, believed to be the oldest living vertebrate ever discovered. Based on its overall length of 18 feet, experts used its annual rate of growth of 1 cm per year along with radiocarbon dating […]
Study finds fear of sharks reduced through understanding
An experiment involving more than 500 visitors to an aquarium ‘shark tunnel’ has shown the public’s fear of sharks reduces when they learn about the species by watching their behaviour. University of Sydney researchers conducted a randomised experiment in Shark Valley at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium in November 2013, by setting up iPads running survey […]
