Research sheds light on elusive marine predator

by Murdoch University
April 18, 2024

Researchers have discovered new white shark behaviours by attaching smart tags and cameras to their fins, revealing never-before-seen details of the lives of the elusive creatures.

While the team’s previous research uncovered white sharks hunting for seals in kelp forests, the latest research revealed the white shark adapts its behaviour to suit the specific habitat it is encountered in.

The paper was a part of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s ‘Project White Shark’ and led by former Murdoch University PhD candidate Dr. Oliver Jewell with Harry Butler Institute and the School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences, in collaboration with Oregon State University, Stanford University and California State University Monterey Bay.

Twenty-one white sharks from small juveniles to large adults were fitted with motion-sensitive biologging tags along the California coast in contrasting environments – offshore islands, coastal headlands and an inshore embayment.

Tags were attached for up to six days at a time and measured swimming depths and body movements, before they detached and floated to the surface.

The team set out to understand if white sharks behaved differently in different environments or if sharks followed the same behaviours irrespective of location.

Keep reading: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/news/articles/research-sheds-light-on-elusive-marine-predator

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.4825