So I asked leading shark ethologist and behaviourist, Professor Samuel 'doc' Gruber to elaborate. After pointing out how much pain women feel when they give birth, making the point that suffering has no effect on reproduction, he reminded me that sharks evolved their mating behaviours and the physical structures involved, separately from other animals.
Conventionally, shark behaviour has been perceived as largely instinctive and uniform across individuals. However, a team of researchers, led by Thomas M. Vignaud, have upended this notion, uncovering a spectrum of individual personalities among bull sharks frequenting feeding sites.
William T. White and his team of researchers described the distinct characteristics of the Roughback Bristle Shark through meticulous examination of its size, coloring, body structure, texture, dental arrangement, egg cases, and genetic makeup, and published their their study in the journal "Fishes." Residing at astonishing depths between 2,200 feet and 3,900 feet, the newfound shark species has, thus far, exclusively inhabited the waters off the western coast of New Zealand's North Island.
The hypothesis has been questioned in a recent study by Dr. Eric E.G. Clua and Dr. Carl G. Meyer, published in a Special Issue of the journal Behaviour. They point out that not only is it unsupported by the evidence, but it fails to stand up to close scrutiny.
For years, the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, has been at the forefront of research, tracking shark movements and behaviour, which has been crucial for beach safety and conservation efforts. The loss of funding could severely hinder these vital studies, potentially impacting both ecological understanding and public welfare.
Their groundbreaking study, published in 2022, marks a significant milestone in understanding and preserving vital marine ecosystems that are crucial for mitigating climate change.
In La Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France, small-scale fishers often use surface longlines targeting tuna and billfish, but this sometimes leads to the accidental capture of sharks.
The EU-funded ASUR project is researching innovative methods to reduce the incidental catch of sharks by these longlines, bringing together scientists and fishermen to tag and release sharks and to test equipment designed to reduce shark mortality.
Recent scientific efforts have begun to unravel the complexities of shark behaviour, challenging age-old perceptions, and revealing a world of intelligence and sophistication hidden beneath the waves. Ila France Porcher reports.
Palaeohypotodus, pronounced pale-ee-oh-hype-oh-toe-duss, translates to "ancient small-eared tooth," a reference to the shark's distinctive small needle-like fangs found on the sides of its teeth. Spearheaded by Jun Ebersole, Director of Collections at McWane Science Center in Birmingham, alongside David Cicimurri, Curator of Natural History at South Carolina State Museum, and T. Lynn Harrell, Jr., Paleontologist and Fossil Collections Curator at the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the team named the new species in honour of the late Dr.
(TOP BANNER IMAGE: Carlos Gauna/The Malibu Artist)
The remarkable sighting occurred on 9 July 2023, approximately 400m (1,300ft) off the shores of Carpinteria, California. Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and Phillip Sternes, a doctoral student in the Department of Biology at the University of California Riverside, stumbled upon the extraordinary sight while filming aerial footage.
It was seven in the morning and my coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. The dive guide was giving me a slightly more thorough dive briefing than normal. I wasn’t supposed to wear anything colorful or shiny, and black gloves and a hood were required. Also covered in black neoprene, he was putting on chainmail gloves and told me he’d have a pole with him. He said it was more for the potato cods though, not the sharks.
