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Tracking Data Shows The Amazing Journey Of A Texas Mako Shark

Featured Image: Oceana.org

Earlier this month, a seven foot mako shark named ‘Pico’ was tracked to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Although mako sharks are known to inhabit these waters, this shark was a surprise. The animal was first tagged off the coast of Texas in March 2018, thousands of miles from North Carolina. 

According to OCEARCH, his tracker pinged off Cape Hatteras National Seashore on a Wednesday. The next day, he was located another 70 miles north of Hatteras near Kill Devil Hills. 

In just 16 months, this shark has traveled 14,400 miles. Some days, the shark traveled up to 100 miles! According to OCEARCH, it is an exciting move. They rarely track mako sharks that move from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic. Surprisingly, this is the second time that this particular shark has left the Gulf of Mexico to head up the east coast. Last year, Pico made it to New York before he turned around to make the journey back. 

Scientists are using this data to find out where these sharks are going and why. With a better understanding of their lives, we can better protect these amazing animals.

Science

Researchers Discover A Pocket Shark That Glows In The Dark

Featured Image: Sciencealert.com

Back in 1979, researchers found a small shark in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that had never been seen before. Because the small shark had a pocket near its gills, scientists named it the pocket shark. Within the pocket are glands that produce a bioluminescent fluid that helps the shark attract prey. Unfortunately, after this initial discovery another pocket shark was not seen for several decades.  

Then, in 2010, a group of researchers from NOAA found a pocket shark in the Gulf of Mexico. However, a recent study shows that these two animals are not the same species. This means there are two known species of pocket sharks in the world. 

In total, the shark only measures around 5 inches long but it’s small razor-like teeth and other body characteristics identifies it as a shark. Mark Grace, the biologist who processed the animal says, “I knew it was a species of shark. But I’d never seen anything like it before.” Unlike the original pocket shark, this species has photophores all over its body. The photophores product light allowing the shark to glow in the dark.

Based on the shark’s body type, researchers speculate that it has similar feeding habits to sperm whales, but further study is necessary to better understand it. Grace notes, “the fact that only one pocket shark has ever been reported from the Gulf of Mexico, and that it is a new species underscores how little we know about the Gulf, especially its deeper waters, and how many additional new species from these waters await discovery.”

Conservation

Researchers Catch Footage of ‘Monster’ Deep Sea Sixgill Shark in Exuma

Scientists from the Florida Program for Shark Research got more than they bargained for when they recently encountered a ‘monster’ shark that was bigger than their submarine. The shark was a bluntnose sixgill, an ancient species that can grow over 16 feet long and weigh more than a ton. Living in tropical waters around the world, the bluntnose typically live at depths between 650 and 3,300 feet, making it difficult for researchers to learn about and protect the species. However, as commercial fisheries cast deeper into the ocean, deep sea sharks like the bluntnose are being increasingly caught as bycatch. 

In an effort to conserve the species, researchers began investigating whether these sharks would die if released after being caught. Initially, the sharks were brought to the surface and tagged, however the data garnered from these efforts showed an interesting trend. Every day and night the bluntnose consistently migrate vertically, staying closer to the surface during the night and moving thousands of feet deeper at dawn. For the first two days after being brought to the surface and tagged, however the sharks broke this pattern and behaved more erratically. Scientists theorized that the two day behavioral change represented a recovery period due to the short term physiological stress resulting from being captured and brought to the surface. 

In order to combat the effects of surface tagging, researchers pivoted and began making attempts to tag the sharks at depth using a submarine. It was during one of these expeditions that the team captured video of the massive shark. After some trial and error, the team was eventually able to successfully tag a bluntnose. The tag will remain on the shark for three months before detaching. Once the detached tag floats to the surface, it will upload its recorded data via satellite link for analysis. Scientists expect to see the vertical migration pattern without the two day recovery period, but they won’t know for sure until the tag resurfaces. 

 

Shark

Image Source: Unsplash

Residents Fear Increased Shark Activity in Cape Cod Will Affect Tourism

The movie Jaws is set in a fictional New England town that depended on tourism for its economy. When the great white shark came to town, it brought fear and panic. Unfortunately, the movie taught many people to hate and fear sharks; instead of celebrating the beauty of these sharks, people sought to eliminate them. 

Recently, great white sharks have been returning to the Cape Cod area. The return should be a celebrated ecological event. The fact that sharks are returning to the area means that the system is once again healthy enough to support apex predators. However, the sharks’ return is making the local residents fearful instead of happy.

With the return of the sharks came unfortunate shark encounters, such as the death of a boogie boarder last year. The event represented the first deadly shark encounter in decades. It is not only the presence of sharks that is inciting fear among local residents; if increased shark activity leads to a fall in tourism it could bring about an economic slump in the area. 

The recovery of the seal population has led to the rebound of the shark population. Hopefully, sharks and residents will be able to start living together in peace soon.

Shark

5 Things More Likely To Kill You Than A Shark Attack

In 1975, Jaws terrified audiences worldwide and introduced the infamous two-key, nightmare-inducing theme song that would become an indelible part of modern culture. Dun dun…dun dun…dun dun dun dunnnnnnnn! Sharks were catapulted to the ignominious position of public enemy number one and people were never able to look at murky water the same again. Although the puppet shark used in the movies is laughable in retrospect, the fear it incited still permeates modern characterizations of sharks. But how common are shark attacks really?

In reality, you are more likely to get crushed by a cow collapsing in a field than you are to die from a shark attack. There is roughly a one in 3,748,067 chance you will be attacked and killed by a shark. That number can be hard to conceptualize, so to bring it to the real-world here are a few things more likely to befall you than death by a shark:

 Furthermore, when it comes to the animals that are most deadly to humans, sharks don’t even crack the top 10. Mosquitoes take the top spot, with snakes, dogs, freshwater snails, hippopotami, and others all causing vastly more deaths annually than shark attacks. 

Now, this isn’t to say that it’s a good idea to go poke around in shark-infested waters. Shark attacks do happen, but there are easy steps you can take to minimize your risk. Check out our blog post on avoiding shark attacks for some great tips. 

Shark

10 Tips For Avoiding a Shark Attack- Awesome Ocean

Anyone who’s seen Jaws has probably experienced the moment: You’re out in the ocean, enjoying the ebb and flow of the waves when you look down and notice that you can’t see your feet in the murky water. That’s when your brain unhelpfully starts playing the telltale notes, dun dun…dun dun. Surely there is a massive shark lurking beneath you just waiting for the moment to strike. Turns out, a shark attack is actually extremely unlikely, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take steps to protect yourself. Here are a few tips to avoid becoming a hungry shark’s midday snack.  

  • Swim in a group
  • Don’t stay too far from shore
  • Don’t go into the water if you’re bleeding
  • Don’t wear shiny jewelry 
  • Look for diving seabirds-They are an indication of a lot of baitfish present which will also attract sharks 
  • Avoid bright clothing
  •  Don’t splash a lot, the erratic movements can attract sharks 
  • Avoid the water at night, dawn and dusk
  • If sharks have been reported, don’t go in the water
  • If you see a shark, don’t touch it!

Sharks are amazing animals that usually have no interest in eating you but they will attack when provoked. Follow these guidelines, keep your hands to yourself and you can enjoy the beach without fear of losing life and limb to a hungry shark.

Shark

weirdest shark species

4 Of The World’s Weirdest Shark Species

When people hear the word “shark” they likely picture a great white thanks to the species’ starring role in “Jaws”. And while many sharks do have the standard characteristics we have come to expect, many species of sharks are, quite frankly, weird.  Here are some of the weirdest shark species hanging out in the world’s oceans.

Goblin Shark

Image Source: Flickr.com

Great whites may have made the public afraid to go to the beach, but take one look at a goblin shark and it’s likely to haunt your nightmares for years to come. With a nose like pinocchio after a week’s worth of lies and a jaw that looks like it is actively trying to escape the skeleton it’s attached to, this species of shark is just plain ugly. Considered a “living fossil” these sharks have only been seen about 50 times since their discovery in 1897 and thank goodness for that because this is a face that would turn any underwater excursion into a lesson in terror.

Megamouth Shark 

Image Source: Medium.com

This shark species cruises around the ocean looking like an octogenarian with their dentures removed. Megamouth sharks swim with their enormous mouths open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish.  Discovered in 1976, these sharks are very rare; only around 100 have ever been caught or observed. Not much is known about this rare species but its Wikipedia page gives it a rather pathetic characterization: “A relatively poor swimmer, the megamouth has a soft, flabby body and lacks caudal keels”. Poor Swimmer, flabby body and no caudal keels? Sounds like I’ve found my new spirit animal.

Basking Shark

Image Source: Flickr.com

A relative of the Megamouth shark, the basking shark is similarly endowed with a mind-blowingly large mouth. Growing to an average of 26 feet, these sharks swim with their 3 ½ foot mouth wide-open in order to filter zooplankton and invertebrates. To say that this looks bizarre would be a massive understatement. It looks like a normal, albeit stupid, shark tried to swallow a laundry basket that subsequently got stuck in its mouth. Being the second-largest living shark species only makes the bizarre mouth more disconcerting. On a smaller fish, it would be an interesting feature, on the 5.2-ton basking shark, it’s nothing short of terrifying.

Wobbegong

Image Source: Flickr.com

Besides being incredibly fun to say, wobbegong is also a name given to 12 species of sharks. Due to the ornate patterns on their backs, these are also referred to as carpet sharks, but that is way less fun to say so we’re going to stick with wobbegong. Unlike most sharks, wobbegongs use their back patterns to camouflage into the ocean floor, snatching up any prey that wanders too close. A series of lobes resembling weeds are attached to their mouths, helping them lure fish and adding to the overall weirdness of this wonderfully named species.