The mysterious lifestyle of tiger sharks, who are notoriously difficult to study in their natural environment, has been revealed through the use of innovative tracking devices developed by scientists at Trinity College Dublin. Working with a US-based NGO, they have returned from the Bahamas having secured a vast amount of new data about the secret lives of the region’s tiger sharks. Tiger sharks are classified as “near threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with commercial and artisanal fishing pressure and infrequent (once every three years) reproduction contributing to this status. Several countries continue to cull populations of tiger sharks given perceived risks to human swimmers, despite some regions having seen declines in shark abundance of some 75 per cent in recent decades. By measuring how temperature influences the sharks’ behaviour and swimming performance, the team will be better placed to predict how these animals will respond to future climate change.

Source: The Irish Times June 07, 2019 10:18 UTC