World of Sharks

The trade in shark liver oil is an invisible threat to sharks. Not only is there limited research on the topic, but liver oil is notoriously difficult to track and trace. Enter Dr Madeline Green, molecular fisheries ecologist and Principle Investigator of the Forensic Fisheries Lab at the University of Tasmania. Madi is working to apply protocols from the tracing of olive oil to extract DNA from s...

Spiral intestines! Curly poop! A shark that eats plants! And…turning your stomach inside out because you ate something dodgy?! In this episode we explore the ins and outs of a shark’s digestive system with animal physiologist Dr Samantha Leigh (@sea_science_sam), an expert in all things shark gut. We learn how a shark’s digestive system is designed for maximum efficiency, the different ways in whi...

Why swim when you can just walk from a to b?! This week, we are taking a closer look at the "walking" or epaulette sharks, a group of nine species who have evolved a slightly unusual way of getting around. We're joined by Faqih Akbar Alghozali, co-founder of Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI) and SOSF project leader, who has lots of stories to share from his time in the field with the Kalabia, o...

Join us for a slightly different easter egg hunt, as we go in search of shark eggcases! From tiny catshark eggcases no bigger than your index finger, to a skate that lays eggs larger than your head and even an egg that looks (and functions) like a corkscrew - we explore them all with Cat Gordon, Senior Conservation Officer for The Shark Trust. And, we learn about one of the longest running citizen...

In this episode, we are exploring the ‘sixth sense’ of sharks – electroreception! We are joined by sensory biologist and shark elasmobranch expert Dr Stephen Kajiura, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to discuss how sharks are able to detect minute electrical signals and use this sense to pinpoint prey with mind-blowing accuracy. We also get de...

How do sharks learn to be a shark? Do they really eat their siblings? Is there such a thing as a shark teenager? How do sharks find a mate? And what happens when they reach old age? In this episode, we answer all these questions and more as we embark on a true deep dive into the lives and life histories of sharks, with elasmobranch expert and SOSF Scientific Advisor Dr Dean Grubbs! Dean is Associa...

The shark meat trade is a multi-billion dollar industry. But it receives relatively little attention, and remains understudied. This week, we sit down with conservation scientists Dr Divya Karnad and Dr Trisha Gupta, who have collaborated on research that aims to better understand the drivers and complexities of this trade. Using India as a case study, they are looking for ways to encourage more r...

You asked for more episodes on lesser known or slightly more obscure species - so we're kicking off a new season with a whole episode devoted to just that! Host Isla and special guest, scientist and science communicator Kristian Parton (host of the Shark Bytes Youtube channel) challenge themselves to discuss species and sharky facts that even the most enthusiastic of shark nerds might not have hea...

Dive into the wonders of South Africa's kelp forests on this special episode of World of Sharks. Join us as we head beneath the waves with marine biologist and SOSF project leader Dr Jannes Landschoff, who has dedicated much of his working life to understanding the unique and vast habitat that is the Great African Seaforest. As the only forest of giant bamboo kelp in the world, the seaforest stret...

We know that globally, sharks and rays are in trouble. But just how bad is it? And can we still do something about it?  In this special bonus episode of World of Sharks, host Isla sits down with chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (IUCN SSC SSG), Rima Jabado, and program officer of the IUCN SSC SSG Alexandra Morata to discuss their latest report The Global Status of Sharks, Rays and Chima...

Sadly, us humans can't spend every hour in the ocean staring at sharks (unfair, right?!). But do you know what can? Robots. UNDERWATER robots. In today's episode, we are diving into the super cool world of ocean tech with research scientist Martina Lonati! Martina seeks to understand how new technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) can help fill in the...

There is a place where the largest and most powerful river in the world meets the Atlantic ocean, and one of the most threatened species of elasmobranch - the largetooth sawfish - finds one of its last refuges on earth. In this episode of World of Sharks, we are joined by shark scientist and conservationist Dr Patricia Charvet, who has dedicated her life to understanding and protecting sharks and...

When life gives you lemon sharks...make a podcast about them! This week we are answering a request by listener Charlie to devote an episode entirely to warm-water loving Negaprion brevirostris, the lemon shark. And to help us learn everything there is to know about them is marine biologist, educator, author and founder/president of Sharks4Kids, Jillian Morris-Brake, who has a lot of experience wit...

Thinking of a career in shark science and conservation? Struggling to find your niche? Found your niche, but trying to advance in your field? Or wondering what on earth to write in that email to the person you admire?  We're back with another special episode dedicated to careers with sharks and the ocean. For the last year, we've asked each podcast guest to share their advice and own experiences t...

“Conservation is not drones and DNA samples or pamphlets or computers. It is people, and we should be investing in those people.” In this episode of World of Sharks, we sit down with fisheries scientist, director of the Fish and Fisheries Lab at James Cook University and Save Our Seas Foundation Scientific Advisor Dr Andrew Chin to discuss the challenges and realities of shark conservation and man...

It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for…we’re going back in time to meet the largest shark to have ever existed: Otodus megalodon. Growing up to twenty metres long, with teeth as large as a human hand and jaws that could fit you and a friend (with some room to spare), this apex superpredator continues to capture our attention, despite having been extinct for at least 2.6 million years. But what i...

Sharks and rays are found all over the world; from the freezing waters of the Arctic to the tropical Indo-Pacific, and just about everywhere else in between. This means that shark conservation is a global effort, spanning multiple countries, cultures, customs and languages. But did you know that 98% of scientific research is published exclusively in English? In this episode of the World of Sharks...

Did you know that some sharks can keep parts of their body warm to allow them to move faster, swim for longer, see more clearly and think better?? Or, that basking sharks have a gigantic heart?! This week we are diving into the fascinating world of shark physiology and anatomy to learn about a special trait only found in a handful of species: regional endothermy. To take us on this journey of disc...

This week on the podcast we are taking a brief detour from sharks to explore the fascinating world of turtles and tortoises! We are diving into the research of SOSF project leader and turtle specialist Alessia Lavigne, who has been trying to understand why turtle and tortoise eggs sometimes fail to hatch. Turtles and tortoises (known collectively as the testudines) are, like sharks, one of the mos...

We welcome back shark scientist and CEO/Co-Founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences, Jasmin Graham, and celebrate the release of her new book, Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Scientist. We talk about the incredible adaptations and resilience of sharks, the glorious weirdness of sawfishes - a species Jasmin has worked closely with - and why Jasmin feels innately connected to sharks and comp...

We are so excited to share with you a very special bonus episode of World of Sharks! Join us as we head into the field in search of the second largest species of shark in the world: the basking shark. We’ll be heading out on the boat with Dr Alex McInturf (@drsurfnturf), shark scientist at the Chapple Big Fish Lab (@big_fish_lab), SOSF project leader and project coordinator for the Irish Basking S...

This week we are diving into the world of angel sharks, the second most threatened group of elasmobranchs in the world. Joining us is co-founder and co-lead of the Angel Shark Project, Eva Meyers, and project coordinator for the Angel Shark Project: Wales, Jake Davies. In this episode we learn all about angel sharks, their super-powered ability to “disappear” and ambush prey, and the work of the A...

Sharks with beards. Deep sea sharks with glow-in-the-dark bellies. Sharks that take on submarines. Sharks that walk instead of swim and rays with a hedge trimmer for a nose…this episode has it all! We explore the fantastic diversity of sharks and their relatives (and of all marine life!) with marine biologist, scientific writer and broadcaster Dr Helen Scales, ahead of the release of her new book,...

Come with us on a voyage to one of the most remote, biodiverse and "sharkiest" places on the planet with leading expert Pelayo Salinas, co-principal investigator of shark ecology and conservation at the Charles Darwin Foundation and Save Our Seas Foundation project leader. In this episode we go on a dive to observe scalloped hammerheads visiting their after-work spa, get booped by the bouncer of t...

Thresher sharks are known for their unusual hunting strategy. They use their long tail like a whip, striking it so fast that it creates a shockwave capable of stunning multiple fish at once! But how does their anatomy support such an extreme movement? In today’s episode we find out! We talk with Jamie Knaub, who researches the biomechanics and vertebral anatomy in large, swimming animals - includi...