A new study revealed that tiger sharks appear to be social creatures, with some choosing and forming groups while others break down their preferences for each other when exposed over time. The findings contrast what was thought of these apex predators in the past; however it may not always work out so easily as people who participate in “shark diving” experiences provide bait which often causes conflict among these groups.
Researchers from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, Lancaster University and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science looked at diver-shark interactions at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, a popular spot for tourists because of its tendency to attract large groups of sharks.
Baited shark dives are often conducted by dive tourism companies around the world to attract sharks. This approach has been criticized because it may lead them away from their natural habitat and into human settlements, which could cause problems over time for humans as well if not handled properly with proper safety precautions taken when interacting these animals that’s why most conservationists recommend against this type of attraction.
This study is the first of its kind to look at the influence of bait feeding on social behavior in tiger sharks. Researchers found that when food was provided, interactions between these animals became less random and more one-sided with “take it or leave” attitudes exhibited by all but one animal tested (the lone exception). They also reported no long term impact after exposure or dependency if frequency tourism activity doesn’t increase – indicating tigers may retain naturally occurring behaviors even without being fed often enough!
:”The boundary between wildlife and people is becoming increasingly thin, so as well as observing a new social behavior for the first time in what was once thought of as a solitary shark,” Dr. David Jacoby, ZSL Honorary Research Associate, now at Lancaster University and lead author of the study said “We also measured the impacts of human activity on these predators’ interactions. Luckily, they seem to show some resilience to the bait feeding.”
The tiger sharks were observed using a mixture of acoustic tracking data as well as social network analysis of behavior over three years. The results were published in the latest issue of in Frontiers in Marine Science.
“Given that tiger sharks spend months at a time out in the open ocean as solitary predators, it’s amazing to me that they show social preferences when they aggregate in the Tiger Beach area,” said Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, senior author of the study and research associate professor at the UM Rosenstiel School. “For nearly two decades, I have spent countless hours diving at Tiger Beach always wondering if these apex predators interacted socially. Now we know.”
The social behavior of predators is an important area of study as it provides another tool to help conservationists build a picture of how they live, what drives them to form groups and roles within their ecosystem.
“We hope that if the frequency of these dive trips doesn’t increase, the sharks may be able to retain their natural behaviors regardless of their time spent near tourists during dives,” Jacoby concluded.
Read the full study here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.665726/full