World of Sharks

October is famously spooky season – but did you also know it’s the month that we celebrate one of the funkiest groups of elasmobranchs? October 17th is International Sawfish Day, an event held every year to raise awareness of these wonderfully weird and seriously threatened animals. ‘What is a sawfish?’ I hear you cry. Well, fear not – this is an episode dedicated entirely to learning all about th...

Many of us enter the water hoping to encounter sharks and rays, and maybe even get some prize images of our own – but how can we do it with as little impact on the animal as possible? In this episode, we discuss how to share the water with sharks safely, ethically and responsibly with wildlife photographer and filmmaker Luke Saddler, who has spent countless hours observing sharks in their environm...

Ghofrane Labyedh came to Cameroon in search of whales and instead discovered an overlooked conservation story: threatened sharks and rays were being landed in large numbers, yet little was known about the fisheries catching them. Since 2019, Ghofrane has worked alongside Cameroon’s coastal communities to understand these fisheries and the cultural, social and economic importance of sharks and rays...

The international trade in shark fins is a behemoth; vast, complex and difficult to disentangle. But for molecular and forensics expert Dr Diego Cardeñosa, one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the fin trade is the tiniest part of a shark: their DNA. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Diego's research, which has been instrumental in understanding the nuances of the fin trade and...

Few sharks capture the imagination quite like the thresher shark. They are well-known for their cartoonish appearance, “anxious-looking” faces and seriously cool hunting technique. But in scientific terms, we know very little about them – despite their endangered status. Rafid Shidqi is on a mission to change that. For the last eight years, he has led groundbreaking research on the elusive pelagic...

This episode is an extra special one – it’s our 100th! To celebrate this milestone, our host Dr Isla Hodgson looks back across half a decade and 100+ hours of conversations about sharks with the people who know them best. And, we hear messages and bonus shark stories from some friends of the pod.  Transcript and shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast . This episode features the voice...

Parasites have a bad rep. We often see them as harmful, exploitative, and just plain icky. But in the shark world, parasites are much more than just irritating hitchhikers. They are ecosystem engineers and important indicators of the health of not just sharks, but the entire ocean. And studies are starting to show some may actually benefit our sharky friends. Isla met with shark parasitologists Dr...

We're diving back into our mailbag to answer more of your burning sharky questions! In this episode we address all sorts of fascinating queries such as how bioluminescence evolved in sharks, which species are capable of breathing while they’re not swimming, and whether sharks are really older than trees. Plus, we take deep dives into several awesome species – great white sharks, grey reef sharks,...

Art has the power to change perspectives, spark dialogue, and raise awareness of the complex issues facing our ocean. This is exactly why PangeaSeed was established. Since its inception in 2010, PangeaSeed has brought together local artists and their communities to collaborate on large-scale, vibrant public artworks on the walls of their towns and cities, depicting the ocean, her inhabitants, and...

In August 2025, a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science suggested that ocean acidification could negatively impact a shark's most useful tool: their teeth. We speak with the papers lead author, Max Baum, about this research, and what the findings could mean for the sharks of tomorrow. Plus we take a deep dive into the wonders of shark teeth, and meet a decidedly unbothered tig...

Sharks have been around a long, long time (over 450 million years!). But how did they evolve into the extraordinarily diverse and successful group of animals that we have today? On today's episode, we meet palaeontologist and author of The Secret History of Sharks, Professor John Long, to discuss a thrilling story of evolutionary experimentation, fossilised clues, and above all, survival. The Secr...

The Maldives has served as a shark sanctuary for 15 years, and is now one of the most diverse regions for sharks and rays in the world. But with great success comes a new problem: conflict with humans. Fishers are reporting a loss of some of their catch to sharks, an issue known as depredation. For her PhD, SOSF project leader Mina Hatayama is seeking to understand depredation in the Maldives, stu...

Sometimes called the 'couch potatoes of the sea', nurse sharks are famous for their laid back attitude to life spending most of their days cosied up in piles, napping. But their gentle, docile nature doesn't make them any less special. In this episode, we sit down with SOSF project leader and PhD Researcher Sergio Madrigal Mora - who has spent a lot of time hanging out with the Labradors of the sh...

We know sharks have incredible senses, but just how good is their eyesight? In this episode, we explore the world through a shark's eyes with fish vision expert Dr Lily Fogg. How does fish vision compare to our own? How do the eyes of a fish living on a vibrant coral reef differ from those hanging out in the murky depths? And do sharks see in technicolour, or multiple shades of grey? We also take...

To kick off our new season, we're diving into our mailbag to answer your burning questions! From speedy sharks to mimicry and even fossilised shark poop, we're leaving no stone unturned... Thank you to everyone who sent in a question - we had so many we ended up doing two episodes! Part 2 will be out later in the season. Questions answered (with timestamps): 04.54: Do any sharks, other than megamo...

The conversations that shape the fate of sharks and rays rarely happen in quiet laboratories or out at sea. More often, they unfold in fluorescent-lit halls, behind nameplates and microphones, inside sprawling congress centres where global decisions about nature are made. At the IUCN World Conservation Congress, surrounded by thousands of delegates debating the future of biodiversity, host Isla sa...

Did you know that there are over 60 species of shark who are luminous? In this episode, we learn all about the sharks who light up the darkness of the deep sea. How are they able to produce their own light? And why have they evolved the ability to glow? We are joined by Professor Jerome Mallefet, an expert in bioluminescence who has studied some of the most fantastical species on earth, including...

How do sharks locate prey when they’re roaming the open ocean? What does a shark ambush look like? Are sharks capable of hunting cooperatively? And why do cookiecutter sharks take on prey much larger than themselves (including submarines!)? We are asking all these questions and so much more this week as we dive into the fascinating world of shark behavioural ecology to better understand foraging a...

It’s spooky season, and what a great excuse to visit our friends in the dark; the deep-sea sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras! We’re joined by fisheries scientist and deep-sea legend Dr Brit Finucci to go on a journey into the darkness – a far from barren landscape filled with weird and wonderful creatures. We’ll meet icons like the small-but-ferocious prickly dogfish, the luminous lanternsharks,...

From a shovel to a mallet, and even an aeroplane - the hammerheads really do win the prize for some of the most bizarrely shaped sharks out there. But why do they have such oddly-shaped noggins? What do they eat? Where do we find them? And why are one of the most charismatic groups of sharks in the world also one of the most threatened?  In this episode we are joined by Dr Kelly Kingon, Associate...

Tagging hammerheads, tracking silky sharks and exploring a remote coral paradise in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico…This week, we’re diving into the fascinating world of shark trophic ecology with PhD researcher and SOSF project leader Brett Sweezey! Brett is investigating the interactions between predators and prey, and how they influence where sharks go amongst the unique habitats of the Flower...

A turtle that looks like a pig, and a shark that looks like a plane...in this episode, we're heading to the colourful, diverse lands of the Kikori River in Southern Papua New Guinea to meet researcher and director of the Piku Biodiversity Network ( www.pikubionet.org.pg ). In 2018, Yolarnie expanded the PBN - which originally focussed on the community-led conservation of the endangered pig-nosed t...

Dive into the deep, remote waters of New Zealand's Fiordland with us as we meet the mysterious broadnose sevengill shark and the scientist who is trying to study them: Dr Alice Rogers. Alice's research aims to discover how these ancient creatures are responding to climate change - will the fiords provide vital refuge for the species as our waters get warmer? Along the way, she and her team are unc...

We're taking to the skies to find out what great white sharks get up to when no-one's looking... From his drone’s vantage, Carlos Gauna — AKA The Malibu Artist — has captured previously unrecorded behaviours of one of the ocean’s most captivating predators, the great white shark. His footage has fascinated viewers from across the globe, challenged misconceptions of white sharks, and even altered C...

Tagging tiger sharks, seamount navigation, and a great white shark called Princess Sparkles...  This week, we're diving into the fascinating world of shark movement ecology with research scientist Dr Sammy Andrzejaczek to explore how and why sharks move about the oceans - in particular zooming in on their vertical space use and asking why some sharks take frequent dives to depths of over 1,000 met...