sharks

  • A recreation of a giant shark's jaw and teeth.

    Study may rewrite what we know about megalodon

    The megalodon has long been imagined as an enormous great white shark, but new research suggests that perception is all wrong.

  • A hammerhead shark swims through shallow blue water.

    Sharks are under serious threat, but these bans may help

    New research highlights the importance of monitoring shark populations and combining different strategies for managing their numbers.

  • A shark swims through deep blue water.

    Shark skin inspiration could lead to better sonar arrays

    A textured surface that mimics shark skin could make underwater instruments more effective and environmentally friendly.

  • A person swims in the ocean with only his head poking above the water.

    Unprovoked shark attacks and fatalities went up a bit in 2023

    There were 69 unprovoked shark attacks in 2023, 10 of which were fatal. That's within the normal range, "though the fatalities are a bit unnerving..."

  • A hammerhead shark swims through deep blue water.

    How can humans save threatened sharks?

    "There is a path forward to avoid a global extinction crisis for sharks, but the time to act is now."

  • An image of a baby hammerhead with its bones visible through its skin.

    How hammerhead sharks grow their hammers

    New research offers an unprecedented look at one of the strangest animals in the ocean, the hammerhead shark.

  • people jump off bridge at beach

    3 factors threaten swimming as New England swelters

    Sharks, bacteria, and pool closures combine to threaten swimming. Fun is at stake, say experts, but also public health.

  • A swimmer's legs underwater.

    Fewer sharks worldwide may explain drop in attacks

    The number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide decreased last year. A global decline of shark populations may explain why.

  • A shark swims towards a school of fish.

    Machine learning maps risk to sharks from fishing lines

    Getting tangled in lines meant for other fish can endanger sharks. Machine learning is helping map where they face the most risk.

  • A shark swims underwater with its left eye looking at the camera.

    Fewer people blame sharks for bites after watching positive videos

    After watching positive videos about sharks, fewer people blamed them for bites and more approved of nonlethal response strategies.

  • Researchers on a small boat look overboard at a shark just under the water.

    How sharks live and move in the ocean’s vertical world

    Researchers have compiled the largest set of data showing how 38 species of sharks, rays, and skates move vertically in oceans around the world.

  • toothy megalodon chomps at whale's tale

    Megalodon could fit a modern orca in its stomach

    The megalodon was an even more fearsome predator than previously thought, able to take down prey the size of modern orcas.