January 31, 2011 Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are common off the northwestern coast of the US and Canada. Decades ago researchers learned that there were two separate populations of these animals - “resident” whales who remain in the area for long periods of time, and “transient” whales who … Read more about Whales Eat Sharks
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Different animals eat different diets, in part because they have different types of teeth. The piercing and tearing teeth of a carnivore, for example, in comparison to the flat chewing teeth of a plant-eater. Think tigers versus cows, for terrestrial animals. Among sharks, contrast the thousands of … Read more about Bigmouth Strikes Again
Shark Cartilage Trials
December 16, 2010 People suffering from terminal diseases often grasp at unproven therapies. For several decades one of these has been shark cartilage, claimed by some to be a cure for cancer. This idea came originally from the mistaken belief that sharks themselves do not get … Read more about Shark Cartilage Trials
Whale Sharks are BIG Eaters!
December 4, 2010 Whale sharks are one of the three living species of filter-feeding shark, along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark. Despite their size - whale sharks can reach 40 feet in length - they subsist on some of the smallest organisms in the sea. These animals must … Read more about Whale Sharks are BIG Eaters!
Quirks & Quarks Interview
(A radio interview I did for a Canadian science show called Quirks & Quarks was broadcast a couple weeks ago, and the podcast is on-line at their site: http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/episode/2010/10/02/october-2-2010/ ) … Read more about Quirks & Quarks Interview
Whale Shark Littering
Whale Shark Littering Photo courtesy Jennifer Schmidt, copyright University of Illinois Board of Trustees Whale sharks are found in oceans all over the world, including the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian. They are normally 12 to 13 metres in length, but can be as long as 20 … Read more about Whale Shark Littering
Parthenogenesis in sharks
Parthenogenesis, from the Greek meaning “virgin birth” is an odd quirk of embryonic development that allows female animals of some species to give rise to offspring without a male genetic contribution - usually by a doubling of the egg genome to generate a new embryo with the proper number of … Read more about Parthenogenesis in sharks