Forget Sharknados, What About Sharks And Hurricanes?
Researchers from the University of Miami have been looking into the impact of hurricanes on the migration patterns of sharks in Miami and The Bahamas (insert your own Michael Hurri-Caine Jaws the Revenge joke here).
The fascinating study used tag data from tiger sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks and great hammerheads to how their behaviour patterns changed prior, during and post Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma the following year.
It turns out that whilst some sharks scattered ahead of such a giant storm, others stayed put and even increased in numbers after it had passed.
Most smaller sharks, that's the bull, nurse and great hammerhead, were found to evacuate shallow swimming areas after a storm, but the larger tiger sharks didn't vacate at all, and actually increased two-fold in their numbers after the storm.
It's anticipated that these numbers grew in size due to the increased opportunities of dead animals in the water as a result of the horrific winds. Perhaps not best to go for a dip in water frequented by tiger sharks after a hurricane, then.
And with such storms only set to increase in their frequency and ferocity, due to climate change, this is an important study for both our future and the future of sharks.
