Sharknado species

Today the Tropical Ospreys ventured out into the ocean in search of snorkeling and shark. We boarded at NOVA Southeastern University, or more specifically were charted by the Guy Harvey Shark Research Institute. Once aboard we were briefed by our boat captain on boat etiquette, something quite unheard of for marine science students. After learning about the boat’s amenities and plethora of snacks we pushed off on our daily adventure. 

Not after long, we arrived offshore to Hallandale Beach. Here we created five teams of two, including our non-scholastic boat mates, and began to assemble, lower, and chuck (with finesse) drumlines. When a shark is caught, drumlines allow circular mobility, allowing sharks to filter oxygen, continuously move, and not die. Our yummy bait was on circle hooks that prevent damage from internal punctures. After dropping ten lines we let them “marinate” for two hours, for us that meant fun water time.


We repeated this three times. After 30 attempts we, and by we I mean Alex and Mike, caught four sharks. Two blacknose sharks, Carcharhinus acronotus, one nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, and one lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris. All but the wily lemon shark was recorded, clipped, tagged, and released safely back into the Atlantic Ocean. However, there are other species that roam these warm tropical waters. Such as tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, or my favorite, the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini. Sadly, the only one we saw today was the plushy used to demonstrate tagging.

The scalloped hammerhead shark is named for its wide forehead with indents throughout the outward side. This head-shape improves prey detection by widening their vision and scent range. Its surface area allows an increase in electromagnetic cells which also help to identify food. Beyond finding prey, scalloped hammerheads can use this protrusion to pin prey to the seafloor. This species is highly migratory, staying to warm waters between tropical and temperate latitudes. While an aggressive hunter, they hunt and migrate in large schools, the reason for its size is still unknown. They are viviparous, giving birth to live pups.

Unfortunately, overfishing and slow reproduction had placed these sharks on the endangered list. Their fins are prized for such products such as shark fin soup. Perhaps, the unclaimed fin today belonged to a poor, unfortunate, scalloped hammerhead.


https://oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/scalloped-hammerhead-shark

https://cnso.nova.edu/ghri/index.html