Australian shark experts have revealed that some special wetsuit materials aiming to keep sharks from ripping your arm off or gouging out your guts might actually be helpful. As detailed in a study published today in the journal Wildlife Research, the team investigated the extent to which four bite-resistant wetsuit materials—Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S, […]
This Orange Shark Is the Result of a Rare Genetic Double Whammy
The depths of the Caribbean host a spectacular array of marine life—including this nurse shark featuring vivid orange scales and cloudy white eyes. Last year, anglers on a fishing trip near Costa Rica with Parisima Domus Dei, a tourist company, reeled in what looked like a giant goldfish with shark-like chompers. After snapping some photos […]
Shark Attacks on Humans Aren’t Always What They Seem, Scientists Say
Sharks might not be as responsible for rare human bites as we assumed. In a study released today, scientists argue that at least some shark bites should be considered a form of self-defense. Marine biologists from France led the research, published in Frontiers in Conservation Science. After analyzing shark bite data from throughout the world, they […]
A Real-Life Sharktopus: Scientists Capture Footage of Octopus Riding Shark’s Back
It’s the aquatic buddy comedy movie we never knew we needed. Scientists in New Zealand have released footage of an octopus appearing to ride the back of a shortfin mako shark. Researchers at University of Auckland documented the real-life sharktopus during a December 2023 expedition in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. The sighting was […]
Some Megalodons Reached 80 Feet—But They Weren’t Built Like Great Whites, Research Suggests
15 million years before movies like Jaws and Open Water gave swimmers the heebie-jeebies, a prehistoric shark species called Otodus megalodon reached gargantuan sizes. Researchers have reassessed just how large the now-extinct beast would have been—and the results are fin-tastic. To refine its own estimates of megalodon’s size, an international team of biologists, paleontologists, and […]