The weird and wacky to the wonderful and winsome.
We connect shark science – and the scientists themselves – to the shark-fascinated community, working closely with shark scientists to get their research out to the public. We not only expand their audience and share their important work but also solicit support for shark science around the world that fuels shark conservation, like ground-breaking local research through genetics to determine where and how we need to protect sharks.
We researched some interesting facts and behaviors that we think you would be interested in learning about. All the below published scientific shark articles have been rewritten and compiled by our wonderful team of interns and volunteers. No scientific degree needed but a basic thirst for all things shark! Yeah we think this stuff is pretty cool…
We are continuously adding to our shark science communications so be sure to check back often to learn what other interesting shark facts and studies we have for you.
Word Bank
Cephalofoil – hammer-shaped head of a hammerhead shark, which ranges in size between different species
Morphology – how an animal is built/body plan
Site fidelity/residency – tendency to return to a previously occupied location
Philopatry – when an animal will habitually return to a particular area
Natal philopatry – when an animal will return to their place of birth to give birth (general area)
Spatial hot spots – significant groupings of high number of individuals
Aggregation – a group of individuals
Migration– movement from one area to another
Migratory corridors– routes that an animal takes when traveling between winter and summer habitats
Biotelemetry – includes methods such as acoustic telemetry and satellite tags
Bycatch – an animal that was unintentionally caught.
Longline – a fishing method to capture sharks, or other pelagic fish. Different ways of setting them up but most consist of an anchor followed by a float at each end with a certain number of hooks attached to the line with certain hook sizes (a bigger hook will catch a bigger fish).
Endangered species – any species that is at risk of extinction
Parturition – action of giving birth
Provisioning – feeding an animal, usually for tourism
Most scientific studies take measurements using the metric system, so a helpful conversion: 1 meter = 3.28 feet, 100 centimeters = 39.37 inches