Sharkophile

The latest shark news, photos and videos

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Scientists discover new species of six gill shark

Using DNA analysis researchers from the Florida Institute of Technology have confirmed that sixgill sharks residing in the Atlantic Ocean are an independent species from those found in the Indian and Pacific. The report was published this week in the journal Marine Biodiversity. The new species will now be known as Atlantic sixgill shark, or Hexanchus […]

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Shark skin could unlock secrets of aerodynamics

The unique properties of shark skin may provide engineers with the inspiration to create more aerodynamic machines, researchers say. A team of evolutionary biologists and engineers at Harvard University, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of South Carolina, have discovered a bioinspired structure that could improve the aerodynamic performance of planes, wind turbines, drones […]

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Microplastics a giant hazard to ocean’s largest sharks

According to a new study, microplastic pollution can put filter-feeding animals such as manta rays and whale sharks at risk. Researchers are still determining to what extent small pieces of plastic can impact marine life and ecosystems over the long term. The study, published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, by researchers from the Marine […]

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New ‘super shark’ dates back 300-million years

Previously, giant sharks had only been recovered from rock dating back 130 million years, during the age of the dinosaurs. The largest shark that ever lived, commonly called “Megalodon,” is much younger, with an oldest occurrence at about 15 million years ago. This means the new fossils from Texas indicate giant sharks go much further […]

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Hammerhead nursery discovered in Galapagos

Researchers from Ecuador have discovered a hammerhead shark nursery in the Galapagos Islands, nearly 1,000 miles off the coast of South America. This remote sanctuary has likely remained relatively pristine for over a million years. “It was quite by chance that we found this natural nursery for baby hammerheads, a species that is under a high […]

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Study shows ancient arctic sharks tolerated brackish water

Sharks were a tolerant bunch some 50 million years ago, cruising an Arctic Ocean that contained about the same percentage of freshwater as Louisiana’s Lake Ponchatrain does today, says a new study involving the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Chicago. The study indicates the Eocene Arctic sand tiger shark, a member of […]

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New species of prehistoric, plankton-eating shark discovered

An international team of scientists has discovered a new lineage of extinct plankton-feeding sharks, Pseudomegachasma, that lived in warm oceans during the age of the dinosaurs nearly 100 million years ago. The fossil sharks had tiny teeth very similar to a modern-day, plankton-eating megamouth shark. The study, “A new clade of putative plankton-feeding sharks from […]

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Study finds sharks high in neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer’s

In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of toxins linked to neurodegenerative diseases in the fins and muscles of 10 species of sharks. The research team suggests that restricting consumption of sharks can have positive health benefits for consumers and for shark conservation, since several of the sharks analyzed in […]

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Monogamy could hinder long-term tiger shark populations

Tiger sharks appear to be genetically monogamous – and it could be putting the species at risk. University of Queensland research has found tiger sharks differ from many other sharks in that they don’t use multiple paternity as a reproductive strategy. UQ researcher Dr. Bonnie Holmes said multiple paternity occurred when a single litter of […]