Happy Shark Week!! In this post, we take a look at how fasting may harm young tiger sharks. Sharks LOVE to eat fish, which are packed with protein and fats. In fact, fat is a major energy source for sharks and high levels of circulating fats are associated with better body conditions in tiger sharks. To handle their diet, sharks need healthy livers and gallbladders to produce and release bile, […]
During this year’s Shark Week, I came across an article published in Endangered Species Research that reported on warm-blooded basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus). While the majority of fish and sharks are cold-blooded, researchers found that the core body temperature of these endangered basking sharks is 1-1.5 degrees celsius warmer than the water in which they swim. Because not all tissues are warm, they are ‘regionally endothermic’. While it makes sense […]
A pair of killer whales, nicknamed ‘Port and Starboard’, has been terrorizing great white sharks. In recent years as many as 8 sharks (possibly more) have succumbed to the pair. Many of the discovered sharks were missing their fatty liver and sometimes their heart. While orca hunting escapades are not particularly newsworthy, the antics of these orcas have attracted the attention of scientists as they are altering the ecosystem. Once […]
Leopard seals in New Zealand have a dangerous appetite. Although the animals were known to eat penguins and other seals, researchers only recently discovered that sharks were on the menu as well, which was really surprising. They made this discovery while analyzing fecal samples collected from more than 100 leopard seals. Leopard seals appear to have joined a growing list of animals (orcas, giant octopus) that dine on what we […]
Check out this video from YouTube that describes why sharks avoid dolphins:
A new study highlights the impact of metal accumulation (cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper, iron and mercury) on the health of twenty individual sharks representing 8 species that were accidentally caught by fisheries in Brazil. Necropsies of the animals showed high levels of metals in the liver, gills and rectal glands. Perhaps not surprisingly, larger animals had more accumulation of the metals in their gills than smaller animals. Higher accumulation in […]
Da-dum, da-dum…that’s right! Shark week is back!! It starts tonight on Discovery channel. Grab some popcorn, it’s going to be a wild ride! To kick off the week in our own way, I found this interesting study that examined wound healing in whale sharks, the world’s largest fish. These animals often exhibit scars resulting from collisions with boats and new research shows they have impressive wound healing capabilities. In the […]
I do…so of course I found myself on Youtube watching all sorts of videos about it. Here is one that caught my eye, lol.
I have to confess that I have been spending way too much time binge watching shows about sharks during this year’s Shark Week on Discovery Channel. I know I should be getting 7 hours of sleep a night…but could watching just one more show be that bad? Speaking of sleep, I am reminded of a study that I read awhile back examining whether sharks and rays need sleep. This may […]
I am so excited it is finally Shark Week on Discovery Channel! I look forward to this week every year. In honor of Shark Week, I found a neat study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology examining the rectal gland of the spiny dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias). This gland is very important as it allows the animals to get rid of salt (sodium […]
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 