PALMYRA ATOLL (HAWAII)- It is not the first subject that comes to mind when you think of sharks. But yes, the apex predators also defecate. And guess what, this turns out to be very healthy for coral reefs. A recent paper published last month in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows how shark poop can be a an important source of fertilizer for […]
Read more
JARDINES DE LA REINA (CUBA)- Silky sharks spend most of their day in the upper water column, but also dive to the depths of the ocean, as deep as over 600m. This was shown by the results of a joint US-Cuban research mission in marine park Jardines de la Reina. Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and their Cuban colleagues are celebrating […]
Read more
LONG BEACH (USA)- A new bill proposes a five-year, 4 million dollar budget to fund research, education and monitoring of white sharks in southern California. With this budget researchers and marine biologists of SharkLab will have the power to know where sharks are, why they hang out in certain California hotspots and when they will migrate back to the area […]
Read more
Sixgill sharks that live in the Atlantic Ocean are different from their relatives that live in the Indian Ocean. A team of scientists led by Florida Institute of Technology’s Toby Daly-Engel confirmed this after genetic testing. So we welcome the Atlantic Sixgill Shark to the large family of shark species. Using 1,310 base pairs of two mitochondrial genes, Daly-Engel, an […]
Read more
LOS ANGELES (USA)- 2017 saw more shark sightings and shark attacks along the US Pacific Coast than the years before. Last year saw a total of 9 authenticated unprovoked shark attacks, according to the report of the Shark Research Committee. None were fatal. Eight of the attacks took place along the coast of California and one in the state of Washington. […]
Read more
MIAMI (USA)- If you think of sharks you think of apex predators, of hunters and fisheaters. Yet some shark species enjoy their veggies. Like Bonnethead sharks, a small species of hammerhead shark. Thanks to a special enzyme they can digest seagrass and live a flexitarian life. Bonnethead shark can be found amongst others in the seagrass meadows in the Gulf of Mexico. […]
Read more
CAPE TOWN (South Africa)- A little added stress may be helpful to flee a dangerous situation, or to meet an approaching deadline. But what if you continuously live in stressful situations, where in the lurky cold waters the great white death awaits you? Researchers of the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science found that Cape […]
Read more