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30
Jan '19

Written by Linda Chivell

WHILE SEVERAL HIGH-PROFILE SHARK BITES MADE HEADLINES LAST YEAR, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SHARK ATTACKS GLOBALLY plummeted.

The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File reported 66 unprovoked shark bites in 2018, down from 88 in 2017 and 26 per cent lower than the most recent five-year average of 84 incidents annually.

Four of the bites proved fatal, roughly keeping in line with the average of six deaths worldwide per year. Consistent with long-term trends, the U.S. led the world in attacks with 32 bites, a drop from 53 the previous year.

29
Jan '19

Written by Linda Chivell

Daddy sharks are tougher

Photo: - Lukas Fourie, Infinity Films

It's not just their teeth and jaws that people find so captivating. It's also their funky shapes and unique skeletal makeup that capture attention.

Unlike humans and most land animals, sharks have mineralized cartilage skeletons instead of bones. This allows them to move at unbelievable speeds through the water. Since cartilage weighs less than bone and is less dense, sharks can bend, swim, and maneuver in the ocean much differently than their bony fish counterparts.

26
Dec '18

Written by Linda Chivell

e Dna A white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), commonly referred to as a “great white shark.” Photo courtesy of Lukas Fourie ( Great White Shark Tours)

Sharks constantly shed small pieces of themselves into the ocean. Scientists can now use DNA in these flakes to monitor whether white sharks – commonly called great whites – are swimming nearby. This technique could be deployed to make informed decisions about which shark habitats to conserve and also help swimmers and surfers avoid potentially dangerous interactions with sharks.

05
Nov '18

Written by Linda Chivell

Great White in good vizibility

A shark’s sharp teeth aren’t the only reason we find them so scary---their ability to smell blood in the water, even from a long distance, is also a big factor. We know they’ll find us.

But how do they know what direction to swim in order to find a wounded fish (or person)? Conventional wisdom says that they follow trails of scent based on differences in the concentration of odour molecules detected by each nostril. Not so, say marine biologists in a new study in the journal Current Biology. They say it’s all in the timing.

10
Oct '18

Written by Linda Chivell

Shark uw swimming to camera

Thanks to media hype like Jaws and Finding Nemo, white sharks are the ocean's most iconic and feared fish. But we know surprisingly little about them.

Much of what we think we know about great white sharks simply isn’t true. They aren’t mindless killers, they aren’t always loners, and they are much smarter than scientists gave them credit in the past.

Meeting a great white shark in the wild is nothing like you expect it would be. At first glance, it’s not the zeppelin beast we’ve come to expect from a thousand TV shows. It’s portly, bordering on fat, like an overstuffed sausage. The world’s greatest predator is little more than a slack-jawed buffoon.