#shark research

[wholesome-sharks]

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, we need to bear in mind that YES, the shark science in Jaws is inaccurate and outdated and YES Jaws demonized sharks and particularly white sharks in the public--BUT Jaws also inspired a generation of people to study real sharks in the wild, so for that the film does not deserve to be demonized completely.

[marinebioblr]

Blacktip blood draw!

When drawing blood from sharks, researchers tend to target the caudal vein that runs against the base of the spine of the tail. It's less risky than targeting the dorsal arteries, but does require a fine bit of precision to find!

Photo by the Shark Research & Conservation program at RSMAS

[baddawgsports]

🦈 BREAKING: Baby great whites are thriving in NYC waters! Here's why this discovery is amazing news for ocean health (and why you shouldn't be scared) 🌊 #SharkConservation #NYCWildlife

The Hidden Nursery: How Baby Great White Sharks Are Revitalizing New York's Marine Ecosystem

[respect-the-locals]

5 years ago- Sharks and Rays class pt. 2 (‼️No sharks were harmed!! They were brought on board the research boat, measured, tagged, and released‼️)

Tiger sharks are my favorite species of shark with Great Hammerheads (also pictured) coming in second. Why? It's because of this experience right here. One of the outings we did during the class, took us out to the gorgeous water of the Gulf.

Until this day, I didn't realize there was an 'efficient' way to bait and catch sharks (we may have been doing it for research, but it doesn't escape my attention that sport fishers probably use this method too 😓😭). This method is termed: Bottom Longline Fishing. I can't begin to explain the process, as there's many different forms of it (Google could explain better lol).

For what we were doing, it's a pretty cool practice, one that allowed myself and fellow students to see wild sharks up close. Obviously, what caught my attention most were the juvenile Tiger sharks (an easy tell is how vivid their 'stripes' are) we were pulling up! Their skin against the backdrop of the teal water was stunning! I fell in love with their beauty instantly, so they will always have a special place in my heart🩶🦈🖤.

As far as the great hammerhead though, you see on tv when biologists and researchers call out measurements like 'Oh! We've got a 15 footer!' If you've ever watched Shark Week, that is common. Clearly 15ft is large, but until you see it with your own eyes, you can't fully comprehend just HOW large that is! Granted.. the one pictured was a female who only measured in at 8ft 😅 almsot half the size of a full grown hammerhead. It didn't take a lot of imagination to grasp how large she could have been, had she been mature. Humbling is the word I'd like to use to describe that experience. Even at 8ft, she was powerful and was almost too big to fit on the large scale at the back of the boat. True beauties of the ocean🦈🩶

[todayinsharknews]

Genome analysis reveals three distinct lineages of the cosmopolitan white shark

Wagner et al. identify three genetically distinct allopatric lineages (North Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and North Pacific) of white shark which

[honyx13]

Great White Shark Research Internship in S.Africa, organized by Hunter Evans

Hi! My name is Hunter Evans, and I am a college senior. I will graduat… Hunter Evans needs your support for Great White Shark Research Inte

[originaljediinjeans]

Sharks are not known for being good at running in running wheels. Or hopping from one perch to the other in a birdcage. Which is why, unlike hamsters or sparrows, sharks were never a very popular laboratory model for circadian research.

So I’m in the middle of a bad spell of insomnia, and I was rewatching a video of Jackson Galaxy helping out a cat with sleeping problems, and then I wondered, “Do sharks produce melatonin when they rest?” 

Sharks don’t actually ‘sleep’ like mammals do, but when they rest they either slow down and cruise (for RAM-obligate/pelagic/open ocean sharks), or they will sit on the ocean floor and enter a relaxed state (benthic/buccal-pumping sharks), It’s kind of confusing because they don’t close their eyes, as their nictitating membranes are for safety purposes. (LINK) This NatGeo Wild video explains it a little more clearly. 

Both classes of sharks take advantage of the current to help them breathe while in resting state. There is a cave off the coast of Mexico where Caribbean reef sharks (RAM-obligate breathers) are known to actually rest on the cave floor in a position where the current will flow through their gills. 

The Scientific American article I linked above (from 2013) reviews several studies that gathered data about circadian rhythm in sharks across a number of species. Melatonin is only mentioned explicitly for one but it is implied that it is a chemical that contributes to the resting state of sharks, as with sleep in other animals. 

Let me reiterate, I’m only an amateur shark enthusiast. If you’re from Science Tumblr and want to add any corrections or insights feel free. 

(warning: some of the shark videos I have linked above may leave you feeling a little [YAWN] drowsy)

[teenyfish]

Here’s another video I dug out of my archives--this is from the NOAA shark research trip I took last year.  Here we are releasing a tagged, 12 ft, adult female tiger shark back into the Gulf of Mexico.  She is resting on the shark cradle, which we use to weigh and measure her safely.