Shark Research

By Mateo Eusebio
Blacktip Reef Shark

Scientific Name: Carcharhinus melanopterus

Average Size: 5-6 feet
Habitat: Coral Reefs
Mouth Width: 10 inches
Unique Characteristics: Black tipped fins
Interesting facts:
- The females incubate for about a year before giving birth
- Can leap out of water.
- These sharks have a spiritual significance to some Hawaiians, seen as their guardian spirit
New Discoveries: None
Are they threatened?: Yes, humans often catch them by mistake.
What are we doing to protect this species?:
Great White Shark

Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias

Average size: 19-20 feet
Habitat: Open ocean
Food: Small fish to seals and dolphins
Mouth or teeth size: 34 inches in width
Unique characteristics: Large white bellies
Interesting facts:
- They are the largest predatory fish in the world
- It is very unlikely to be killed by one, despite what movies say
- Weigh nearly 3 tons.
New discoveries about their behavior, biology, possible uses in medicine (If any): N/A
Are they threatened (by humans, climate change)? Why?: Yes, they are threatened by humans. We have been
fishing them for sport and they have been caught by mistake. There are only 3,500 left in the wild.
What are we doing to protect these species? What else could we do?: We have been tagging great white sharks
and monitoring them to see how we can better protect them.
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark

Scientific name: Sphyrna lewini

Average size: 14 feet
Habitat: Open ocean
Food: Fishes
Mouth or teeth size: Unusually small
Unique characteristics: Wide, thick, hammer looking head
Interesting facts:
- In general, hammerheads are not aggressive towards humans.
- Their prefered prey is stingrays
- Not much is known about their behavior
New discoveries about their behavior, biology, possible uses in medicine (If any): N/A
Are they threatened (by humans, climate change)? Why? : They are critically endangered, as they are constantly
being hunted for their oil.
What are we doing to protect these species? What else could we do?:
Shortfin Mako Shark

Scientific name: Isurus oxyrinchus

Average size: 12 feet
Habitat: Open ocean
Food: Fish, squids, other sharks
Mouth or teeth size:
Unique characteristics: Extremely fast
Interesting facts:
- Mako sharks are the fastest sharks on the planet, with a top speed of 45 mph.
New discoveries about their behavior, biology, possible uses in medicine (If any): N/A
Are they threatened (by humans, climate change)? Why? : Yes, they are often killed by people in search of their
fins.
What are we doing to protect these species? What else could we do?: We are using trackers, to keep their
population in check.