NEWPORT, Ore. â The population of white sharks that call the Central California coast their primary home is holding steady at about 300 animals and shows some signs of growth, a new long-term study of the species has shown.
Between 2011 and 2018, researchers were able to identify hundreds of individual adult and subadult white sharks, which are not fully mature but are old enough to prey on marine mammals. They used that information to develop estimates of the sharksâ abundance.
âThe finding, a result of eight years of photographing and identifying individual sharks in the group, is an important indicator of the overall health of the marine environment in which the sharks live,â said Taylor Chapple of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State Universityâs Hatfield Marine Science Center and a co-author of the study.
Hundreds of individual adult and subadult white sharks, which are not fully mature but old enough to feed on marine mammals, were identified by researchers between 2011 and 2018. They used this knowledge to calculate shark population estimates. The discovery, which was made after eight years of photographing and naming individual sharks in the population, is a valuable indication of the general health of the aquatic ecosystem in which the sharks breed, said Taylor Chapple, a co-author of the report and a researcher at Oregon State University s Hatfield Marine Science Center.
White sharks, also known as great white sharks, are apex predators that prey on huge marine mammals such as elephant seals, harbor seals, and sea lions. According to Chapple, an assistant professor in OSU s College of Agricultural Sciences Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, they play a significant role in the health of the aquatic ecosystem as apex predators.
May 19, 2021 NEWPORT, Ore. – The population of white sharks that call the Central California coast their primary home is holding steady at about 300 animals and shows some signs of growth, a new long-term study of the species has shown. Between 2011 and 2018, researchers were able to identify hundreds of individual adult and subadult white sharks, which are not fully mature but are old enough to prey on marine mammals. They used that information to develop estimates of the sharks’ abundance. “The finding, a result of eight years of photographing and identifying individual sharks in the group, is an important indicator of the overall health of the marine environment in which the sharks live,” said Taylor Chapple of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center and a co-author of the study.
Small White Shark Population Continues to Thrive in the Coast of Central California natureworldnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from natureworldnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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IMAGE: Researchers use a camera on a pole to document the unique dorsal fin markings of a white shark off the California coast. view more
Credit: Scot Anderson
NEWPORT, Ore. - The population of white sharks that call the Central California coast their primary home is holding steady at about 300 animals and shows some signs of growth, a new long-term study of the species has shown.
Between 2011 and 2018, researchers were able to identify hundreds of individual adult and subadult white sharks, which are not fully mature but are old enough to prey on marine mammals. They used that information to develop estimates of the sharks abundance.