Good migrations
Looking for sharks is an unpredictable business, says Shark Trust MD Paul Cox – but sometimes the search itself is the reward
Good migrations
A new study published in Nature has revealed that loggerhead turtles‘ dance’ when they encounter magnetic phenomena associated with food. According to the study’ s lead author Kayla Goforth, a marine biologist at Texas A & M University, the findings show that loggerhead sea turtles are capable of learning the magnetic signatures of particular locations. This helps them create a magnetic map akin to a GPS, she says. The scientists discovered that, even with no food actually present, the sea turtles displayed their excited‘ dancing’ behaviour when they encountered the magnetic conditions that were associated with past feedings.
the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research, had expected miners to one day come across a shipwreck. Indeed, the Namibian miners, who worked for the diamond company De Beers, called Dr Noli as soon as they made the find, since he had been telling them for more than a decade what to look out for.
Recent research suggests the Bom Jesus sank when she was pulled too close to the shore by an especially violent storm, causing its hull to collide with a rock that made it capsize. As for the gold, the ship belonged to the King of Portugal, making it a ship of state, but the Portuguese government waived that right, allowing Namibia to keep the ship and its cargo.
PHOTO: SIMON ROGERSON
PHOTO: PETER DE MAAGT
Skunked by the sevengill
Looking for sharks is an unpredictable business, says Shark Trust MD Paul Cox – but sometimes the search itself is the reward
In late March, my work with US aquariums took me on a short trip to Palm Springs in California. Before you say it, I KNOW that there aren’ t any sharks in the desert – but that’ s where the meeting was. Seeing as I was in the area though, I thought it would be cool to extend my trip to San Diego to catch a few dives.
We’ re currently on a mission to film sharks, in a variety of habitats, on a 360 º camera. Ultimately, we’ ll be producing a film for distribution across the growing network of immersive theatres and domes. But that’ s a way off yet. The challenge for now is to get a stockpile of footage without breaking the bank. So,‘ while we’ re in the area’ filming opportunities have to be pounced upon. And this one offered the chance to dive among the giant Macrocystis kelp, which has always been on my hit list but has, so far, eluded me.
The star attraction would be the broadnose sevengill shark- a littleknown species that can be found on continental margins around the world, except in the Northwest Atlantic. Although they are predominantly solitary sharks, they are thought to sometimes congregate in groups to hunt. This allows them to hunt larger prey they wouldn’ t ordinarily be able to target on their own.
By sifting through their vomit scientists( with strong stomachs) have found that in one population, elephant seal is a dietary choice. Elsewhere, it’ s large fish, and sometimes smaller shark
A broadnose sevengill shark in South Africa species. And, despite their vulnerable status, these sharks have been turning up in surprising places. On the east coast of the USA and in Galapagos, these predators have been observed moving into areas where they previously hadn’ t been seen. In some places where white sharks have disappeared, they are thought to be‘ taking over’ as the apex predator. They are clearly a shark of interest and would be a great character for our film.
Back in California, a citizen science project uses photographic analysis of the freckle pattern on the sharks’ heads to identify individuals and fill in some of the gaps around the behaviour and status of these elusive sharks. According to their data, spring is the time to find them in among the kelp forests off San Diego. Bingo. It’ s a sure thing. Or so I thought.
Sadly, it was not to be. The sharks didn’ t show. In the area this is known as being skunked. Unusually, this year they have yet to show. Just my luck. So, unless we get another chance, the sevengill will not be featuring in‘ A Shark Story 360’. But, hey, I got a chance to learn about a species that I’ d paid little attention to before, and I got to dive in the kelp. Which was spectacular. Oh, and a quick snorkel off a nearby beach put me in among a load of female leopard sharks who come into the warm water of the shallows to incubate their young. There’ s always a shark somewhere! www. sharktrust. org
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