World of Sharks

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 to help you on your journey. From tips and tricks for writing grants and developing your research interests, to starting your first book, working with collaborators, getting into science communication, and even what to do when you feel stuck in a career rut - there's something for everyone.  You can find the shownotes for this episode, along with additional resources and links, here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast.  You can also follow us for updates on our grants and fellowships. We are @saveourseasfoundation on instagram, and @SaveOurSeas on X/Twitter. 

“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 management, and how we can support the people working on the ground to make the ocean a better place.  Key time stamps: 5.47: Andrew's early career and swimming with reef sharks 15.43: Sharks of the South Pacific 23.21: Citizen Science 28.27: The importance of feedback and long-term relationships with stakeholders 33.18: Shark Search Indo Pacific 38.31: Conservation in practice and capacity building 46.00: Support for people in the field Links Andrew: @spinnershark7 Fish and Fisheries Lab: (https://www.fishandfisheries.com) Shark Search Indo-Pacific: (https://www.sharksearch-indopacific.org/). SOSF Conservation Fellowships: https://saveourseas.com/grants/funding-applications/conservation-fellowship Dan Pallotta's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong?subtitle=en You can also find an accessible summary of this episode and more information here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast    

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 is the truth behind this gigantic fish? Were they just a beefed-up white shark, or did they look completely different? How did they sustain themselves? Why did this apex superpredator cease to exist, and what did that mean for the prehistoric marine ecosystem? We talk about all of this and so much more with Dr Jack Cooper, paleobiologist and expert in prehistoric sharks! Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Follow Jack on X/Twitter (@cooperpaleo) and check out his most recent publications here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=C2zxEm4AAAAJ&hl=en. You can also find out more about the Pimiento Research Group here: https://www.catalinapimiento.com/ You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation on Instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and X/Twitter (@SaveOurSeas).   

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 podcast, we discuss how linguistic bias can limit shark conservation and the value of publishing and communicating shark science in multiple languages. We are joined by Jaime Penadés-Suay, founder and president of Associacó LAMNA, and Hettie Brown, conservation officer for The Shark Trust. Jaime and Hettie recently collaborated to organise the first 'Wikimaratón de Tiburones y Rayas' (Sharks and Rays Wikimarathon), an event that motivated people from around the world to expand and improve information about elasmobranchs on the digital encyclopedia, publishing over 100 articles in Spanish! You can read more about Wikimaratón de Tiburones y Rayas here: https://wikimedia.es/mas-de-100-articulos-sobre-tiburones-y-rayas-enriquecen-la-wikipedia-en-espanol/ and here: https://www.sharktrust.org/tiburones-y-rayas You can also follow the project on Instagram: @rayas_y_tiburones You can also follow Jaime (@jaimepenades) and LAMNA (@lamnaassociacio) on instagram. You can find Hettie on X/twitter (@hettiemermaid) and The Shark Trust on both instagram (@thesharktrust) and X/twitter (@sharktrustuk) You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by heading to www.saveourseas.com or by following us on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and X/twitter (@SaveOurSeas).

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 discovery we are joined by Dr Haley Dolton, marine biologist specialising in the physiology and ecology of large, regionally endothermic fishes! Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast  You can follow Haley on X/Twitter (@haleydolton) or head to her website, www.haleydolton.com You can find out more about us by heading to www.saveourseas.com, or following us on social media. We are @saveourseasfoundation on Instagram and TikTok, and @SaveOurSeas on X/Twitter.   

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 most threatened groups of animals on the planet. Understanding when and why reproduction fails is crucial to ensuring their protection - and Alessia has made huge strides in this area. In this episode we dive deep into her research and learn everything there is to know about these amazing creatures. Plus, we meet some iconic species, including the Aldabra giant tortoise.  Alessia is on instagram and TikTok as @turtle_eggsplorer.  Timestamps:  0-7.00: Intro 7.07-17.11: How did Alessia get into the world of turtle research? 17.28 - 26.20: Turtle biology 26.40 - 32.51: Climate change and other threats 32.00 - 47.00: Alessia's research and reproductive failure Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation on Instagram and TikTok (@savourseasfoundation) and twitter (@SaveOurSeas). 

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 compelled to protect them. We also talk about the barriers faced by gender minorities of color in STEM fields, and Jasmin's journey to continue science outside the confines of traditional academia. On this journey, Jasmin co-founded Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) with Carlee Jackson, Amani Webber-Schultz and Jaida Elcock, to promote diversity and inclusion in shark research. We discuss how MISS has grown into a global community, and how Jasmin and her fellow co-founders have built a safe, accessible and welcoming space for the good of people and sharks.  Sharks Don't Sink is available now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726129/sharks-dont-sink-by-jasmin-graham/. You can follow along with Jasmin’s work on her website (www.learningwithjasmin.org) or on X/Twitter (@elasmo_gal). You can also find out more about Minorities in Shark Sciences and how to get involved here: www.misselasmo.org. Or, you can follow them on social media (@miss_elasmo). Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast You can also find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by heading to www.saveourseas.com or follow us on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and X/Twitter (@SaveOurSeas).  

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 Shark Group (@baskingirish). You'll be right there with us as we conduct some basking shark research, and you'll learn what it's like to tag, track, ultrasound and swim with a 32 foot (10m) shark in the wild.  Keep up to date with Alex here:  https://alexandramcinturf.squarespace.com, find out more about Taylor and the Big Fish Lab here: https://marineresearch.oregonstate.edu/chapple-lab and the Irish Basking Shark Group here: https://www.baskingshark.ie/ Key timestamps: 2.25 - Heading out on the boat and Alex's research 8.47 - Finding basking sharks 17.02 - Tagging 32.48 - Active tracking 38.35 - Ultrasounding 44.13 - Social behaviour 50.00 - Basking shark threats and conservation Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Follow Save Our Seas Foundation on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and x/twitter (@SaveOurSeas). You can also head to www.saveourseas.com

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 Angel Shark Project which aims to protect these unusual sharks throughout their range. Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast You can find out more about the projects mentioned here: www.angelsharkproject.com, here www.angelsharknetwork.com, here https://angelsharknetwork.com/wales/ and here https://www.projectsiarc.com/. You can also follow @angelsharkproject and @ProjectSIARC on instagram You can follow Eva on X (@angelshark2014) and Bluesky (@evameyers.bsky.social) and Jake on instagram (@JDScuba).  If you want to know more about us, you can follow us on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation), X (@SaveOurSeas) and TikTok (@saveourseasfoundation).   

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, What the Wild Sea Can Be. Join us as we travel from the ocean depths to the shallowest rockpools, meeting a colourful bunch of characters along the way. Timestamps: 05.01 - Helen's career journey from scientist to writer 16.33 - Pom-pom crabs, cleaner wrasse 22.14 - Sharks! Lanternsharks, greenland sharks, walking sharks, shysharks 27.10 - Sharks in history and culture 32.30 - The deep sea! 47.04 - Deep sea sharks 51.00 - What the Wild Sea Can Be and the future of our ocean Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast Helen’s Instagram: @drhelenscales Helen’s twitter: @helenscales Website:  https://helenscales.com/ Helen’s latest book: https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/what-the-wild-sea-can-be/ Save Our Seas Foundation is on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and x/twitter (@SaveOurSeas).

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 the reef, Galapagos sharks, and swim alongside the world's largest fish. And, if that wasn't enough, we head off on an expedition into the deep to visit a very unusual egg-laying site on a hydrothermal vent...  You can follow Pelayo on instagram and twitter (@pelayosalinas) and find out more about the Charles Darwin Foundation here: https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/    Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast  Follow SOSF: @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @SaveOurSeas (x/twitter)

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 - including whales and sharks. In this episode we explore Jamie's research, including her most recent work studying the vertebrae of the thresher shark to understand how they are able to carry out that iconic tail whip. This episode has it all: the Olympians of the shark world, surprise humpbacks, sharks with anxiety, digital dissections and of course some deliciously nerdy science. You can follow Jamie on X/twitter (@CornOnTheKnaub) or LinkedIn (Jamie Knaub). And you can find out more about the Fab Lab, run by Dr Marianne Porter, here: https://mepbiomechanics.com/   You can find us on social media on X/twitter (@SaveOurSeas) or instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) Episode shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast    

Conservation is often more about understanding people than studying the animals we are trying to protect. In this episode we learn from Dr Hollie Booth, research fellow at the University of Oxford, who has worked extensively with small-scale fisheries in Indonesia, the world’s largest shark fishing nation. Hollie’s work aims to disentangle the drivers of shark fishing in order to find solutions that have positive outcomes for both sharks and coastal communities. Here, we discuss the complexities of fisheries and the many reasons why someone might catch and trade sharks. And, we talk about the importance of finding conservation strategies that are socially just as well as ecologically effective. You can follow Hollie and her work:  @the_hollietype (instagram) @kebersamaan_untuk_lautan (instagram) @hollieboothie (twitter) https://saveourseas.com/project/solutions-for-shark-fisheries-in-a-surfers-paradise/ https://mcem.web.ox.ac.uk/incentive-based-marine-conservation   Shownotes:  www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast  

The ocean is warming at a rapid pace. This year (2024) began with the highest global Sea Surface Temperature (SST) on record, and scientists are already warning of mass coral bleaching events and other worrying consequences for marine life. But how could rising temperatures impact sharks, particularly in the early stages of life when they are most vulnerable? PhD student and “mother-of-sharks” Noémie Coulon is trying to understand the effects of ocean warming and acidification on baby sharks, using an egg-laying species – the small-spotted catshark – as an example. In this episode, we follow her work as she raises catsharks in the lab, testing the effects of different environmental conditions at key stages in their development.    Follow along with Noémie's work on twitter (@noemie_coulon) and instagram (@noemie.coulon.9).  Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

In February 2024, a round stingray from a small, rural aquarium in the middle of a shopping mall unexpectedly took the world by storm. She was pregnant, but how this had happened was a complete mystery - there were no male stingrays in the tank, nor had there ever been... In this episode we are joined by scientist and science communicator Dr David Shiffman (@whysharksmatter) to examine Charlotte's case. We go deep into the various theories that could explain Charlotte's pregnancy to get to the bottom of what really happened. No, a shark did not get a ray pregnant, but what did happen is even more fascinating. It's a good excuse to take a deep dive into the more unusual methods of shark and ray reproduction, including the super cool zoological phenomenon that is parthenogenesis!  You can find out more about David here https://davidshiffmancv.com/, find his book here https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter and read his article on Charlotte for Southern Fried Science: https://www.southernfriedscience.com/no-a-shark-did-not-get-a-stingray-pregnant-but-what-really-happened-is-pretty-cool/ Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast  

The international shark fin trade is a billion-dollar industry. It is also driving declines in shark populations around the world. In this episode, we are joined by Luke Warwick, expert in global shark policy, to learn how CITES - an international agreement between governments to regulate trade in endangered species - could help protect sharks and rays from overexploitation. In particular, we discuss a landmark vote that occurred in 2022, which saw 90% of the fin trade come under regulation almost overnight. Luke walks us through what has happened in the year since, from getting the vote passed to implementing the new regulations at local level. And, we discuss some of the trials and tribulations of trying to get 100+ countries to agree on something, especially when most of them have a vested interest... You can learn more about Luke and his work with the Wildlife Conservation Society on twitter (@WCSsharks) and here https://www.wcs.org/our-work/wildlife/sharks-skates-rays. You can also check out the shownotes for this episode here www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast For more sharky content, find us on social media! We are @saveourseasfoundation on instagram, and @SaveOurSeas on twitter.   

Do sharks have ears? Are they good listeners? What are they listening for? Do great white sharks get freaked out by orca sounds? And what kind of music do sharks like?! We cover all this and so much more with bio-acoustician and shark hearing expert, Dr Lucille Chapuis. Join us for a fact-filled episode that includes disco sharks, curious humpbacks, putting sharks in 'sleepy-time baths' and R2D2 with a throat problem.  You can follow Lucille on twitter (@sharkslikejazz), instagram (@lucillechapuis) and via her website, www.sharkslikejazz.com.  If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a rating and a review. You can get in touch with the podcast by emailing isla@saveourseas.com, or via social media (@saveourseasfoundation on instagram, @SaveOurSeas on twitter). 

Time travel. Ancient coral reefs. Shark sleuthing. The AMAZING properties of shark skin...this episode has it all! We're chatting with Dr Erin Dillon, conservation paleobiologist and researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Erin's work uses fossilised shark skin (fancy term: dermal denticles) as a window into the past, to understand what kinds of sharks were around on coral reefs thousands of years ago and how that has changed over time. It's a fascinating deep dive into shark life before humans made their mark, and an insight into what healthy reefs could look like with a little bit of help.  You can follow Erin's work by heading to her website, http://erinmdillon.wordpress.com, or by following Erin on social media (@erinmdillon).  You can find the shownotes for this episode here www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast and find us on social media, we are @saveourseasfoundation on instagram and @SaveOurSeas on twitter. 

It's our 50th episode!! To celebrate, host Isla is joined by shark scientist and CEO of the Save Our Seas Foundation Dr James Lea to talk about the amazing evolutionary success of sharks and their relatives. We talk about just how much sharks have had thrown at them over the 440 million years they've existed on this planet (super volcanoes, ice ages, the terror of plants and a mass extinction event called the 'Great Dying'!) and discuss their super-powered adaptations and efficient body plans. Plus, we answer a listener question: how can I get my friends into shark conservation?  Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast  You can find us on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation) and twitter (@SaveOurSeas).

Starting out on your own career journey can be a little daunting, which is why we’ve put together this special episode of World of Sharks, filled with advice, experiences and anecdotes from the guests of season 4. We talk about how to make your dreams of working in shark science and conservation a reality – from how to approach professors, to finding your niche, to overcoming setbacks and staying true to yourself. You can find additional resources in the shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast You can keep track of when our grants and funding opportunities are announced by following us on social media, we are @saveourseasfoundation on instagram and @SaveOurSeas on twitter!