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In general, sharks have a reputation as swimming garbage cans that unflinchingly dine on whatever they can fit in their jaws. But in French Polynesia, blacktip reef sharks that frequent places where tourists toss them low-quality scraps are taking a hit to their metabolic and reproductive health

Paleontologists in Peru on Monday unveiled the 9-million-year-old fossil of a relative of the great white shark that once inhabited the waters of the southern Pacific Ocean, where it liked to devour sardines. The nearly-complete Cosmopolitodus Hastalis fossil was found some 235 km (146 miles) south of Lima in Peru's Pisco basin, a hot, desert area famed for frequent discoveries of ancient marine species.

The Wildlife Trust of India’s “Pan India Whale Shark Project” has rescued and released 1,001 whale sharks that were accidentally entangled in fishing nets, which the agency says is a milestone that reflects the remarkable collaboration between conservationists, government agencies, and the country’s compassionate fishing communities in saving these gentle giants of the ocean.

A "serrated blade" found sticking from a rock in the United Kingdom has been identified as a "nearly perfect" prehistoric shark tooth, experts say.

Rare footage filmed by a multi-institutional research team from Australia captured a sexually mature male whale shark following and biting a smaller female in the wild, revealing new insights into the mating rituals of these elusive creatures.

The state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of critically endangered species such as the whitefin swellshark (Cephaloscyllium albipinnum), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), gray nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) and green sawfish (Pristis zijsron); as well as endangered ones like the greeneye spurdog (Squalus chloroculus), southern dogfish (Centrophorus uyato) and basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Additionally, fishing of all stingarays in the genus Urolophus and skates in the genera Dipturus and Dentiraja are banned.

One of the first captive leopard sharks in the world to be artificially inseminated with the sperm of wild sharks in an attempt to build populations around the world.

Some whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef have displayed unusual white patches on their skin. Dr. Mark Meekan, a lead researcher from The University of Western Australia’s Ocean Institute, notes that these patches have raised concerns, as they may signal skin disease and potentially indicate poor health.

This year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has ended with a dramatic showdown over shark finning with Belize calling for a rare vote, only to be thwarted by Japan and China. ICCAT did manage to finalize protections for devil rays, mantas, and whale sharks, and took steps to improve countries’ compliance with existing requirements to report and limit shark catch.