Sharks are much more severely threatened by humans than vice versa. A marine biologist explains how people can help protect sharks and why some strategies are more effective than others.
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Articles on Sharks
Displaying 1 - 20 of 179 articles
Just about every creature on Earth needs to grab some Zs from time to time. Imagine trying to doze while dodging great whites and killer whales.
The scars many whales bear throughout their lives resulting from shark attacks are more than sufficient evidence sharks will have a go if an opportunity arises.
The photographs show how climate change is disrupting our marine ecosystems – sometimes in ways previously unknown to marine scientists.
I attest these rather ordinary, mud-covered stingrays are beautiful, and I never tire of watching them. Unfortunately, they are at risk of decline and localised extinctions.
The largest shark to ever live on Earth, megalodon terrorised the world’s oceans, and could eat a killer whale in just a few bites.
The true cost of marine conservation often falls on vulnerable coastal communities. Can a ‘beneficiary pays’ approach protect both endangered species and the communities dependent on them?
The first hammerhead shark was likely the result of a genetic deformity. A biologist explains how shark DNA reveals hammerheads’ history.
Megalodon, the world’s largest known shark species, swam the oceans long before humans existed. Its teeth are all that’s left, and they tell a story of an apex predator that vanished.
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A pair of killer whales are hunting and preying on South Africa's great white sharks, forcing the sharks to flee.
I’ve seen whale entanglement in shark nets firsthand, when a humpback whale calf drowned in one a few years back. It was terrible.
A terrifying sight in ancient waters, the megalodon shark was once the most feared creature in the sea.
Frilled sharks haven’t changed for about 80 million years! And while they may look a bit like snakes from a distance, they are actually much more similar to other sharks close up.
As the oceans warmed, great whites were more adaptable.
Plankton-eating sharks are struggling to navigate crowded ocean highways, a new study suggests.
With nine brains, blue blood and a talent for camouflage, the octopus is one of the most fascinating creatures in the sea.
Researchers have discovered that great white sharks are more social than previously thought. Using specialized tags, they tracked six sharks and found that some stay close to each other when hunting.
How sharks sleep has been a mystery. Some species of shark need to swim continuously to push water over their gills and breathe. New research is shedding light on how sharks sleep.
Hard and strong, or bendy and flexible? A cartilaginous skeleton provides advantages in the ocean, but wouldn’t stand up to life on land.
As authorities grapple with the best way to respond to the tragedy, it’s worth remembering all shark mitigation measures come with both merits and drawbacks – and none is a silver bullet.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Sydney
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Professor & Director, Marine Futures Lab, The University of Western Australia
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Shark biologist, The University of Western Australia
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Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Wollongong
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Associate Professor in Marine Fisheries Ecology, Macquarie University
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Marine Biologist, South African National Parks (SANParks); Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
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PhD graduate, University of Southampton
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Doctoral School Programmes Manager, Nottingham Trent University
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Director, Florida Program for Shark Research and Coordinator of Museum Operations, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
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Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
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Senior Lecturer, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University
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Director of Florida Program for Shark Research, University of Florida
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Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Southampton
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Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University
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Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
