Some people will do anything for the perfect shot, and a woman has reportedly lost both her hands while attempting to take close-up photographs of a shark. A Canadian woman in her 50s was attempting to take photographs of the shark in the shallow waters off Blue Hills beach on Provinciales, the main island in […]
Tag: sharks

Rare footage of lost anglerfish awes internet, raising questions about ocean conservation
The latest animal to go viral isn’t a baby hippo or newborn tapir or anything that cute really: it’s a humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) that was spotted in shallow waters off the coast of Spain. If you know anything about this kind of fish besides the fact that it has a lantern on its head, […]

South Australia bans fishing of many sharks and rays in its waters
The state of South Australia has banned fishing of several endangered or critically endangered sharks and rays in its waters. In a media release dated Dec. 11, the state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of critically endangered species such as the whitefin swellshark (Cephaloscyllium albipinnum), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus […]

No signs of slowdown in wildlife trafficking in 2024 as demand persists
Wildlife trafficking remains a pressing threat to the survival of countless species, with sharks, pangolins, rhinos, birds, big cats and others among the hardest hit. Mongabay’s extensive reporting aligns with the 2024 U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report, which highlights these species as prime targets of a $20 billion per […]

The hunt for Europe’s great white shark – video
American research group Ocearch has more than 15 years’ experience in catching, tagging and tracking great white sharks all over the world. This contributes to filling in the many gaps in knowledge about the ocean predator. Ocearch came to Europe for the first time in the summer, hoping to study the elusive Mediterranean great white […]

Inspired by nature – 6 times biomimicry has transformed outdoor gear
Recently, I traveled to the Swiss Alps with the outdoor brand Columbia to test out their newest technology. Omni-Heat Arctic is an insulating technology that is inspired by how a polar bear‘s fur works to keep it warm in frigid arctic conditions. Though polar bears appear white, they actually have heat-absorbing black skin and two […]

Are white patches on whale shark skin cause for concern?
Marine scientists have been taking samples from whale shark skin to try and determine the effect of pollutants on whale health. Researchers from The University of Western Australia and Flinders University examined the condition and health of whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Lead researcher Dr. Mark Meekan, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, said […]

Why are sharks coming to Boston Harbor? Researchers believe it’s a nursery ground
Once unthinkable when the harbor was nasty and polluted, today’s cleaner waters have actually become a desirable shark habitat as young sharks migrate here yearly. Shark researchers at the New England Aquarium report that they’ve been coming across the rebounding sand tiger shark population in Boston Harbor. The scientists are tagging, tracking and counting the […]