Latest Shark Stories
A new method of analyzing squalene and squalane, oils often used in the production of cosmetics and vaccines, can show whether they came originally from the liver oil of deepwater sharks or from olive oil.In 2006 the European Union imposed deep-sea shark fishing limits in the North-East Atlantic, and since 2008 some important cosmetic firms have declared that they have stopped using shark squalane. Up to now however there has been no way that a manufacturers could determine whether the...
The ancestor of all hammerhead sharks probably appeared abruptly in Earth's oceans about 20 million years ago and was as big as some contemporary hammerheads, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.But once the hammerhead evolved, it underwent divergent evolution in different directions, with some species becoming larger, some smaller, and the distinctive hammer-like head of the fish changing in size and shape, said CU-Boulder Professor Andrew Martin of the...
The six-foot-long babies of the world's biggest shark species, Carcharocles megalodon, frolicked in the warm shallow waters of an ancient shark nursery in what is now Panama, report paleontologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Florida."Adult giant sharks, at 60-70 feet in length, faced few predators, but young sharks faced predation from larger sharks," said Catalina Pimiento, visiting scientist at STRI and graduate student at the...
LOS ANGELES, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Non-profit organization Iemanya Oceanica today announced their second shark-tagging research expedition to Baja California, set to take place from July 1st-5th, 2010. The organization is actively seeking up to 20 individuals from the general public to swim with and learn about the conservation of the world's largest fish: the giant whale shark. The team will be traveling to Bahia de Los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez in Baja where whale...
LOS ANGELES, April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On April 6th, 2010, the Hawai'i House passed measure SB 2169, prohibiting the distribution, sale, and possession of shark fins in the State of Hawai'i. Measure SB 2169 is a victory for the protection of sharks and an important step toward ocean conservation. If/when SB 2169 becomes effective Hawai'i will be the first state in the union to ban the sale of shark fins. Currently, shark finning, the cutting off of a shark's fins and discarding the...
Pew calls conference on global trade in endangered species a major disappointment DOHA, Qatar, March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) concluded without providing any trade protections whatsoever for severely depleted Atlantic bluefin tuna and four vulnerable species of sharks - scalloped hammerhead, oceanic white tip, porbeagle and spiny dogfish. "We cannot continue to...
Thursday, the last day of the UN wildlife meeting in Doha, could be the turnaround day for the protection of elephants and two species of sharks that were earlier disregarded by delegates at the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The final plenary session of CITES validates decisions made over the previous 12 days, but a motion to reopen the debate supported by a third of the delegates could lead to a new vote, giving hope for conservationists. The...
The UN wildlife trade group shot down bids on Tuesday to regulate trade on two species of sharks threatened with extinction from overfishing, setting off backfire from angry conservation activists. Millions of hammerhead and white-tip sharks are taken from their ocean habitats every year, mainly for the growing demand for sharkfin soup, a delicacy in Chinese communities around the world. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) rejected the US-sponsored...
DOHA, Qatar, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sharks were the big losers today at the 15th Conference of the Parties (CoP 15) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting in Doha. "CITES Parties voted by the slimmest of margins to protect porbeagle sharks, but rejected all other shark proposals at this meeting," said Dr. Ralf Sonntag, Director IFAW Germany. "An Appendix II listing would have given sharks a fighting chance against...
Rejection of Scientific Data for Other Threatened Sharks Undermines Conservation Effort DOHA, Qatar, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Government delegates attending the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted today to list porbeagle sharks in Appendix II of the treaty, but rejected protections for three other vulnerable shark species. An Appendix II listing requires exporting countries to ensure that international trade is legal and will not...
Latest Shark Reference Libraries
The slender bamboo shark is a bottom dweller found in shallow coastal waters where the ocean floor is sandy or muddy--around bays, inlets, and coral reefs. Found mainly in the Indo-West Pacific waters from the Arabian Sea to India; also in Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, and Solomon Islands. It is occasionally found in freshwater of the Perak River of Malaysia. The body of this species is brownish in color covered with dark splotches above and cream colored underneath. The mouth...
This harmless shark is native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, it is also found in coastal waters from Japan to India. It lives on the ocean floor in shallow areas around coral reefs, hiding during the day and feeding at night. In Taiwan and Madagascar the whitespotted bamboo shark is used for food. Occasionally this species is kept in home aquariums as pets. The young whitespotted bamboo shark will have a black body covered with white and light blue spots and dark vertical...
The Barbeled houndshark (Leptocharias smithii) is a species of bottom dwelling shark and sole member of the Leptochariidae family. It is a fish found in the Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting coastal waters of Africa from Mauritania to Angola and found at depths up to 246 feet. It is occasionally found as far north as the Mediterranean Sea. Its habitat is typically muddy water around river mouths. This fish can grow up to 32 inches in length, and is characterized by its long, slender body,...
The Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) is a species of hound shark found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North America from Oregon to Baja California. Its habitat is rocky areas, rocky reefs, kelp beds, sandy areas and under piers. Tagging has revealed that stock is mostly resident in San Francisco Bay. However, about 10 percent of the population migrate further out into the ocean seasonally. They swim mainly at depths of 10 to 250 feet. They prefer...
The Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci) is a species of bullhead shark that ranges from central California to the Gulf of California, Mexico, and possibly Ecuador and Peru. Its habitat includes rocky reefs, kelp beds, sand flats, crevices, and caverns at depths from 7 to 490 feet. It is mostly nocturnal and is rather sluggish in the daytime. The adult can reach a length of 4 feet and weigh about 22 pounds. It is brown with black spots. If harassed it may bite. It has poisonous spines on...
