So I asked leading shark ethologist and behaviourist, Professor Samuel 'doc' Gruber to elaborate. After pointing out how much pain women feel when they give birth, making the point that suffering has no effect on reproduction, he reminded me that sharks evolved their mating behaviours and the physical structures involved, separately from other animals.
Recent scientific research has begun to challenge the long-standing perception of sharks as solitary hunters. Rather, it reveals their complex social structure that is borne out of a high level of cognitive function.
In fact, these studies suggest that sharks possess a level of social intelligence, problem-solving skills and even emotional intelligence that far surpass previous beliefs, offering a fresh perspective on their behaviour and potential sentience.
Two male great white sharks, named "Jekyll" and "Simon", tagged off Georgia's coast in December, displayed a groundbreaking migration pattern.
From April, Jekyll and Simon's joint journey saw them traverse the Atlantic Coast, passing places like Ocracoke and Virginia Beach in a synchronised manner. While sharks sometimes gather for mating or feeding, their migrations are usually solitary.
In a bid to learn more about ghost sharks, researchers from the University of Florida (UF) and the Seattle Aquarium are using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore the oceanic depths 100 meters below the surface of the Pacific Northwest.
In particular, they want to find the nesting grounds of the Pacific spotted ratfish, as currently very little is known about their spawning habits and embryonic development.
The team had been gathering material for the David Attenborough documentary Our Planet II. They were operating an inflatable boat around the Laysan area of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in order to capture footage of tiger sharks consuming young albatross fledglings.
Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, estimated that approximately 11,000 blue sharks and shortfin mako sharks, which Brazil listed as endangered last month, were killed.
The fins, which were destined for Asia, where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy, were found in two locations.
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Most sharks give birth to live young, but a few species, known as oviparous sharks, lay eggs. The new species could be identified because researchers noticed something interesting about its egg cases, pouches that attach to a surface in the ocean and hold onto a fertilized shark eggs as it develops.
(VIDEO: Researcher Al Dove collecting a blood sample. Video by Dr Simon Pierce)
DS: What were some of the challenges encountered when doing underwater ultrasounds? How did the team overcome them?
As fans of crime series will know, every living creature sheds DNA through skin cells, hair, scales and other bodily secretions as they move. This leaves behind a trace in whatever environment they were in, thus becoming environmental DNA (eDNA).
An emerging molecular technique called eDNA analysis enables researchers to scan samples of water, air, or soil for tiny remnants of DNA and identify organisms it came from.
Genomic data reveals historical population declines and high levels of inbreeding in great hammerhead.
In a recent report by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 31 percent of all shark species are threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). In 1980, only 9 species of oceanic sharks and rays were listed as threatened.
