Okay, but is the bull shark "personality" justified?
Sure, different species have different "personalities." But if you're spearfishing, be wary of any predators around that might want what you're trying to catch.
As a diver and spearfisherman, I hear a lot of talk about the extra-aggressiveness of bull sharks in comparison to all of the other sharks we come across in Florida. Is there anything unique abou...
The U.S. shark fisheries management plan has largely been successful at rebuilding populations while allowing for a low-level of sustainable exploitation.
wow! i would love to see one up that close! thanks!
As I understand it, overfishing poses the largest threat to sharks. What are the main barriers preventing the implementation of policies that reduce fishing pressure and allow populations to rebu...
The biggest shark I've ever seen was a 14 foot long tiger shark. I was very close, I helped with the research workup. I was not scared, she was totally secure. But it was definitely awe inspiring...
hi david! thanks for doing another one of these. what is the biggest shark you have encountered? and how close to him were you? and were you scared?
There are lots of deep sea species that spent some or all of their time in areas with basically no light. But I think they still have some ability to see bioluminescence and such. Not sure.
Wait... are there any blind shark species? Now I'm curious.
David knows this, but I'm here to tell all the rest of you that it was this AMA two years ago that convinced me to go back to school and become a science communicator. I'll be hanging out with Da...
I see feeding frenzies all the time.... basically whenever my department offers free pizza to graduate students.
I read that as shark related tail and was mad you didn't say thresher.
Gosh that sounds nasty and scary! Are feeding frenzies really a thing, cause if yes - 100 duck sized sharks - I wouldn't want to fight them.
What do you call a shark with no eyes? A shrk. Wait, that one works better with "a fish with no eyes".
DO IT! (future intern here)
Now that Shark Week is stepping up their game, I must ask: "What's your favorite shark joke?"
I'm not going to use an outreach opportunity like an AMA to badmouth colleagues.
I know there is some scientists/group that you might disagree with on an ethical level, such as the way they do their research, do you ever find yourself working along said people or do you try t...
You and I have the same favorite dive spot, my friend! It's a shame about the coral, I've noticed that too - I grew up diving in the Keys and have seen firsthand what we as a species have done to...
You know how I feel about ducks. I'd rather fight 100 duck sized sharks.
100 duck sized sharks or 1 shark sized duck? Or 100 horse sized sharks or...oh, wait a minute. Yeah, that one is pretty obvious. (unless it was like a cookie cutter shark, or something) (nope, ...
My research focuses on the ecosystem role that sharks play in coastal South Florida, using a feeding ecology modeling technique called stable isotope analysis
Thanks for your help! We now take over 1,000 high school students a year out on shark research trips.
Oh man! They are so inquisitive and you even get to see different personalities in individual sharks the longer you're in the water with them. They remind me of a pack of dogs.
Looe Key (about Mile Marker 30). Though it's not nearly as good a dive site as it was even ten years ago. The coral isn't looking great anywhere in Florida
The UM also hosts the South Florida Student Shark Program too, if I recall correctly, /u/whysharksmatter
asexual reproduction is a big deal...
Ah cool :) I'm all for education on these awesome animals with as little as possible discomfort to them being an added bonus. Is there any specific trait that you're currently trying to find ...
Touching on the Keys dives, where is your favorite place to dive down there, and why?
Yeah, having more jobs and more research funding would be good...
Pfft, my magnet school went out with your PhD advisor (Dr. Hammerschlag, I presume?) all the time to help him when he was getting his PhD! Glad to see you guys keeping up the awesome experiences!...
Oh, gotcha. No, I think this is going to be more useful at reducing fisheries bycatch than for protecting beaches. Easier to keep something away from a tiny hook than a huge stretch of beach.
Oh man... um, the coolest thing I've learned about sharks in recent years has been the discovery that greenland sharks sometimes eat polar bears. In the past year... maybe the sawfish parthenogen...
Most of my interactions have been in a research setting. We catch, tag, measure, sample and release, ideally all in under 5 minutes or so. My research doesn't involve diving, but I dive for fun...
Because there are people who want to take advantage of sick and desperate people and sell them things. http://bookoutlet.com/Store/Details/sharks-dont-get-cancer/_/R-9780895295200B
Haha, fair enough. Ok so, what does an encounter consist of? Do you dive with them or observe them or add trackers to them or how does it work...and what information do you get from it? Also,...
Why was there a common misconception that sharks can't get cancer? Where did that come from?
What do you think is the most interesting discovery in the last year relating to sharks?
She'll kill me for this but is it possible to get a small shout out to her nonprofit? It'd mean the world to her I'm sure
Yeah they are awesome :) Thanks for replying!
I do not think that WWF is encouraging people to tie plastic bags around their head...
Hey David! You're friends with my fiancée Melissa (Sarasota Fins). Just wanted to say thanks for helping spread shark education. Yours and her tweets during last year's shark week were something...
For me, use of social media has led to research collaborations, grants, travel opportunities, professional development training, and leadership opportunities. I'm a better scientist because of it...
The new "Animal Answer Guide" is pretty solid and thorough, though it's not geared for adults. The best resource out there is "The biology of sharks and their relatives" series, but it's very tec...
Implement the goals of the UN FAO "International Plan of Action for Sharks," and provide resources to implement and enforce those goals. They're currently just "guidelines" that are totally vol...
http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article5839473.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Plastic-Bag-Challenge.jpg Here is a picture about it.
Shark populations are way down almost across the board. "More than there were a few years ago" doesn't mean "more than there were before humans started fishing them." I don't think we're likely...
Sandbar shark Baby nurse shark spots Greenland sharks eat polar bears.
What, all of them? Yikes! How much time do we have for this AMA?
I'm not familiar with the plastic bag challenge, so I don't currently think much of it.
I don't have time to follow up on every case I report, but at least some have been investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the US Fish and Wildlife Service
I have never seen a sleeper shark, no. Friends study them, and they look awesome, but I prefer working in the tropics to working off Greenland.
From a biological perspective, the biggest problem is overfishing.
Basically everything that isn't a great white. Great whites are pretty cool. So are other species. If I had to pick just one? Atlantic Sharpnose. They're small, but they don't know that. I used...
One quarter of all known species of sharks and their relatives are listed as Threatened with extinction by the IUCN Red List http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=16365
Our lab has more than 20 undergraduate interns. RJD.Miami.Edu/participate
Many species of sharks are known to migrate via SharkNado.
One quarter of all known species of sharks, skates and rays are listed as Threatened with extinction by the IUCN Red List. More info here: http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=16365
Tiger sharks seem to test every unfamiliar object by putting it in their mouth to see if its food, much like me at Golden Corral. I don't think we should decide whether to conserve something by...
My favorite shark is the sandbar shark. They were my Masters study animal.
100 duck sized horses. Seriously though, predators help keep the food web in balance.
Ampullae of lorenzini don't do what most people think they do- they're pretty neat, but they only work from a few inches away.
A lot of our lab's work focuses on great hammerheads. They're amazing! And we know relatively little about their biology and behavior. Lots of new discoveries.
I have never done a baited shark dive. I've seen lots of sharks while diving, particularly in the Florida Keys. I also did a cage dive with great whites off South Africa lost summer, that was pre...
I don't believe great white mating has been systematically observed, but check out this blog post about shark mating in general, "50 shades of grey reef shark" http://www.southernfriedscience.com...
Purchase sustainable seafood only and you're helping a lot. Seafood Watch is a basic but solid guide to what's sustainable.
I've been interested in sharks as long as my family can remember.
Shark bites are extremely unlikely. That said, your risk is elevated if you are by yourself far from shore, i.e. "surfing." I wouldn't necessarily be worried, but be aware.
Are you asking whether magnets can successfully repel sharks, or how to promote the idea that magnets can repel sharks? As for the first question, the answer is that under some conditions, some...
Your questions suggest a misunderstanding of the problems associated with shark conservation. Illegal black market trade is a problem, sure. But there is also totally legal commercial industrial-...
1) Sharks aren't likely to compose a symphony anytime soon, but they're smarter than most people think. Some species exhibit complex behaviors, including social hierarchies and even social learni...
I'm against it!
How do I feel about fake documentaries and sensationalism on Shark Week? I'm against it. For more detail, see my CNN interview on this subject. http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/07/scientist...
Thanks for joining Reddit on World Oceans Day! You are a savvy communicator, do you have any advise or tips for fellow scientists about using social media or why they should bother?
What do you think about #plasticbagchallenge ?
Have you ever been hurt by a shark before?
When you report irresponsible fishermen such as those who caught a sawfish and had it tied up by the rostrum, what happens to them? Are they let go?
Hi thanks for doing this AMA! From what I've seen, one of the rarest seen sharks is known as the sleeper shark and rests at the ocean floor. Have you interacted with this shark or learned more of...
Hello, thanks for doing this AMA! I have appreciated sharks from a distance since I was a little kid, but since reading about Mary Lee the shark and the tracking research that OCEARCH is doing, I...
In your opinion, what is the most under-appreciated shark species?
Hello! I'm a rising junior marine science and math major at the University of Miami and I was wondering as an undergrad, what sort of programs (volunteer or otherwise) exist that we can get invol...
Thank you for being a voice for shark and ocean conservation! Just this morning Good Morning America ran a story about a boy being bitten by a shark in shallow water on Florida's coast. The story...
How do bull sharks manage to get Up the rapids of the river into lake Nicaragua?
Hey thanks for being here, Are there currently any species that are in danger or being wiped out and if so do you have any idea how profound the effect will be? Also, Have tuna numbers risen back...
Can you describe the details of your interactions with said 3000 sharks.
What is your favourite: Shark Shark trait Shark related tale ?
I've always been fascinated by the ampullae of Lorenzini. Can you drop some expert knowledge on these incredible electroreceptors in terms of the importance to the shark in detecting prey?
I love sharks! Half of all my scuba dives have been shark dives. The last shark on my bucket list is to open dive with Great White. I'd love to be a Marine Biologist but I don't honestly think I ...
so.. why do sharks matter?
How do you feel about fake documentaries airing during Shark Week, like Megaladon? For that matter, how do you feel about Shark Week in general? I always felt they put too much emphasis on attack...
Thank you so much for doing this AMA! Shark conservation is literally my dream career. Anyway, here are my questions: Which countries are the most vulnerable to the influence of the black marke...
Are sharks gettin' a bad rap from overly dramatic documentary makers.
What species of shark fascinates you the most? I like the mako shark because of its incredible speed and vicious tooth structure. Also the fact that they will never give up on their prey.
What is your favorite place to do a shark dive?
It does not seem to me that attempts to educate people about the need to protect sharks has been as effective as I hoped. What is your best reason not to kill them? I just keep telling people tha...
Did you have a shark encounter or some other similar experience that got you interested in sharks? Thinking about the dude from Jaws who's boat got eaten
So.... why do sharks matter?
Hey i am wondering if the mating behaviour of big whites is still pretty much unknown?
My question comes from "the shark bite capital of the world," South Florida. Is there any validity to that nickname and should I be worried as an after-work (near dusk when I've heard -other than...
Thank you for doing this AMA. Sharks are by far my favorite animal, such interesting creatures. I have two questions: 1. How intelligent would you say sharks are? 2. Where do you see sharks as a ...
Hi David, Looking forward to your posts today and what a great way to celebrate and raise awareness for #WorldOceansDay. What do you think is the greatest problem for maintaining sustainable ocea...
Are there any common products people should avoid or buy with caution to avoid supporting the killing of sharks?
Hi there! I am back again after my shark week AMA for this special World Oceans Day AMA. As a refresher, I studied the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, whe...
https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/390rp8/science_ama_series_hi_i_am_david_why_sharks/