News

Unique structures on the skin of the blue shark suggest it may be able to change colour like a chameleon, according to a new study. The study reveals tiny nanostructures in the skin of the blue shark, Prionace glauca, that produce their colouration.

Researchers at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science mapped for the first time how 19 threatened marine species will respond to climate change in UK seas.

Many creatures could find new homes in parts of the North Sea predicted to become biodiversity hotspots in the next 50 years, although the disruption from climate change could also have negative knock-on effects on the marine ecosystem.

A recent study analyzed wildlife product listings from 148 online marketplaces over a three-month period and identified more than 500 products from 83 threatened wildlife species, some of which were also listed on CITES Appendix I. Shark trophies — mainly jaws — dominated the listings, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the advertised products, and 73% of those came from endangered and critically endangered shark species.

In positive conservation news, scientists have announced that the decline in angelsharks off the Welsh coastline may be less than previously thought.

Queensland’s Shark Control Program is about to undergo its most significant expansion in decades, with the state government pledging nearly $90 million to install new shark nets, increase the number of drumlines and broaden the reach of drone patrols along the coastline.The plan has sparked immediate backlash from scientists, conservationists and environmental law experts, who say the expansion could do more harm than good to both marine life and public safety.

At least nine oceanic whitetips (Carcharhinus longimanus) and five tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) were seen getting a slice of the action. Details of the event – which is believed to be the first report of oceanic whitetips and tigers scavenging together – has been published in Frontiers in Fish Science.

A previously unknown shark once swam around the shores of the U.K. more than 70 million years ago. The new species, named Pararhincodon torquis, is a distant relative of the collared carpet sharks that today live around Australia and southeast Asia.

A rarely seen shark that spends its life in the darkest waters has been thrust into the spotlight by a surprising new predator. Recent reports indicate that killer whales have been captured on camera going after a prickly shark nearly 3,600 feet down, marking the first documented attack of its kind.

A recent study focused on spadenose sharks (Scoliodon laticaudus) living along the west coast of India offers new insight into just how deeply these pollutants are infiltrating marine life — and what that might mean for the future of sharks.

Scientists surveying deep-sea life off an island in southeast Asia captured a tantalizing glimpse into the life of a poorly known and mysterious ocean animal: the Painted Swellshark

A goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni), a deep-sea species seldom seen by humans, was accidentally caught off the coast of San Cristóbal, Gran Canaria, during a recreational deep-sea fishing trip.