Martin Fisch/Flickr
The first teeth may have evolved from combination of scales and tastebuds.
Shelly Beach near Ballina, one of the new shark net locations, was the scene of a fatal shark attack in February 2015.
Dave Hunt/AAP
Shark nets are controversial, which is why the New South Wales government is investigating a host of other ways to keep humans and sharks apart – some more tried and tested than others.
Ballina, one of the northern NSW beaches that had a deadly shark attack in 2015.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Shark nets seem like they should reduce shark attacks. But as these events are so rare and variable anyway, proving it statistically is no mean feat.
A researcher taking a photo-identification shot of a whale shark.
(C) Peter Verhoog, Dutch Shark Society
How you tell one whale shark from another? Spots and stripes.
Sharks: playing their part in reducing climate change.
Shutterstock
Poor management of the oceans, including the killing of crucial marine predators, could result in more greenhouse gasses.
Hammerheads are the species most caught in NSW’s shark nets.
Shark image from www.shutterstock.com
New South Wales wants to extend its shark net program after a spate of attacks in the north of state.
Silky sharks were added to appendix II of the convention meaning they can only be traded under very specific conditions.
Shutterstock
Sharks were a major talking point at the CITES conference this year and their protection has been expanded to cover new species.
White sharks are one of the species targeted in shark programs, but are also threatened.
White shark image from www.shutterstock.com
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has offered to extend the state’s shark netting and drum lines into New South Wales.
Scalloped hammerhead, a species that is listed as endanged by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Mark Priest
A recent shark licence buy-up in Australia is a great opportunity for fishers and conservation organisations to work together to maintain healthy ecosystems and fisheries.
Mako sharks look fearsome, but they eat fish not people.
Alessandro De Maddalena / shutterstock
If you do see a shark this summer, don’t panic – you just got lucky.
Julius Nielsen
What are the oldest living animals on the planet?
Shutterstock
Understanding the genetic origins of sharks’ teeth could one day lead to new treatments for humans.
Monitoring white sharks more closely could help to ensure better conservation measures are put in place.
Dr Sara Andreotti (c) www.sharkdivingunlimited.com
South Africa’s white shark population faced a rapid decline in the last generation. More concerning is that their numbers might already be too low to ensure their survival.
An electric field could help avoid getting any closer than this.
Sharkdiver.com/Wikimedia Commons
Independent tests show that a wearable electric deterrent called a Shark Shield does indeed seem to live up to its name.
Loving our monsters? We’ll learn more by researching sharks than by kiling them.
ScreenWest/AAP
The best way to guard against shark attacks is to study them, not kill them. Because while the alleged “shark boom” almost certainly not real, the more we know about sharks, the better.
An artist’s impression of the giant shark, megalodon.
Shutterstock/Catmando
Giant sharks did once exist in our oceans – many millions of years ago. But rumours persist that some may still be alive today.
Great White Shark: something to be treasured.
REUTERS/Seachangetechnolgy
How new technologies and changing attitudes are enabling people and great whites to live together.
Inviting, but don’t go in.
Stinger sign image from www.shutterstock.com
Despite a fearsome reputation, it seems Australia’s wildlife doesn’t scare away tourists.
Choosing to swim or surf at a beach with shark spotters or lifeguards may save you a limb or your life.
Glencairn Leigh de Necker
Despite low shark attack numbers, many people are afraid of being bitten. There are, however, ways to steer clear of these creatures.
Great white sharks in South Africa have extremely low genetic diversity compared with shark populations elsewhere in the world.
Sara Andreotti/www.sharkdivingunlimited.com
South African sharks have low levels of genetic diversity. This could pose a threat to their survival as a species.