World of Sharks

Electroreception: The Shark's Sixth Sense with Professor Stephen Kajiura

In this episode, we are exploring the ‘sixth sense’ of sharks – electroreception! We are joined by sensory biologist and shark elasmobranch expert Dr Stephen Kajiura, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to discuss how sharks are able to detect minute electrical signals and use this sense to pinpoint prey with mind-blowing accuracy. We also get deep into functional morphology, zooming in on the Ampullae of Lorenzini and the unique morphology of the hammerhead. And, we chat about how electroreception doubles up as a kind of internal shark sat nav, helping them to navigate entire oceans without any landmarks to speak of. 

You can follow Stephen's lab and research by heading to www.elasmolab.com or by following @sharkmigration on social media. 

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast.

Find out more about us by following @saveourseasfoundation (instagram and tiktok), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter) and @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky)

The Lives of Sharks with Dr Dean Grubbs

How do sharks learn to be a shark? Do they really eat their siblings? Is there such a thing as a shark teenager? How do sharks find a mate? And what happens when they reach old age? In this episode, we answer all these questions and more as we embark on a true deep dive into the lives and life histories of sharks, with elasmobranch expert and SOSF Scientific Advisor Dr Dean Grubbs!

Dean is Associate Director of Research for the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory (https://marinelab.fsu.edu) - @FSUmarinelab. 

Shownotes for this episode: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation on socials - 

Instagram and TikTok: @saveourseasfoundation

X/Twitter: @SaveOurSeas

Bluesky: @saveourseas.bsky.social

Uncovering The Shark Meat Trade With Dr Divya Karnad and Dr Trisha Gupta

The shark meat trade is a multi-billion dollar industry. But it receives relatively little attention, and remains understudied. This week, we sit down with conservation scientists Dr Divya Karnad and Dr Trisha Gupta, who have collaborated on research that aims to better understand the drivers and complexities of this trade. Using India as a case study, they are looking for ways to encourage more responsible and sustainable actions at all stages of the supply chain – from source to consumer.

The papers mentioned in this episode are:

Karnad, D., Narayani, S., Kottillil, S., Kottillil, S., Gupta, T., Barnes, A., Dias, A. and Krishna, Y.C., 2024. Regional hotspots and drivers of shark meat consumption in India. Conservation Science and Practice, 6(1), p.e13069.

Gupta, T., Karnad, D., Oyanedel, R., Booth, H., Abhiram, T., Gaonkar, H. and Milner-Gulland, E.J., 2025. Identifying leverage points for sustainability in India’s shark supply chains. Marine Policy, 173, p.106580.

You can find out more about InSeason Fish here: https://www.inseasonfish.com/ or on Instagram (@inseasonfish)

You can follow Trisha on Instagram (@trisha0405), twitter (@Trisha_0405), and Bluesky (@trisha04.bsky.social).

You can also find the shownotes for this episode, and much more sharky fun over at www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks

 

 

 

Sharks You Might Never Have Heard Of...With Kristian Parton

You asked for more episodes on lesser known or slightly more obscure species - so we're kicking off a new season with a whole episode devoted to just that! Host Isla and special guest, scientist and science communicator Kristian Parton (host of the Shark Bytes Youtube channel) challenge themselves to discuss species and sharky facts that even the most enthusiastic of shark nerds might not have heard of. How about a shark that wags it's tail, or one with glow in the dark armpits? Ever heard of a shark with social anxiety? Or, did you know that venomous sharks exist??

Along the way, we find out how NASA is connected to the largest fish in the ocean and why nurse sharks are unexpectedly good entertainers...

You can catch up on Shark Bytes here: https://www.youtube.com/@SHARKBYTES or follow Kristian on Instagram (@KJparton) and twitter/X (@SharkBytes1994).

You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by heading to www.saveourseas.com, and find all previous episodes and shownotes for the podcast here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

You can also find us on social media:

Instagram and TikTok: @saveourseasfoundation

X/Twitter: @SaveOurSeas

Bluesky: @saveourseas.bsky.social

 

 

In the Field: The Great African Seaforest with Dr Jannes Landschoff

Dive into the wonders of South Africa's kelp forests on this special episode of World of Sharks.

Join us as we head beneath the waves with marine biologist and SOSF project leader Dr Jannes Landschoff, who has dedicated much of his working life to understanding the unique and vast habitat that is the Great African Seaforest. As the only forest of giant bamboo kelp in the world, the seaforest stretches from the rocky shores of Cape Town, South Africa, to the coastline of Namibia. It is home to an astonishing diversity of species – from minute invertebrates invisible to the naked eye, to sharks of all shapes and sizes. In this episode, we accompany Jannes on a dive into the kelp to see what we can find, and learn all about the 1001 Seaforest Species project, which Jannes co-leads with founder of the Sea Change Project Craig Foster. 

You can find out more about the 1001 Seaforest Species project here:  https://saveourseas.com/project/1001-seaforest-species/ and the Sea Change Project here: https://seachangeproject.com/. Instagram: @seachangeproject, @jannes_landschoff.

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

You can also find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) by following us on social media: @saveourseasfoundation 

 

 

 

What's Happening to the World's Sharks and Rays? With Dr Rima Jabado and Alexandra Morata

We know that globally, sharks and rays are in trouble. But just how bad is it? And can we still do something about it? 

In this special bonus episode of World of Sharks, host Isla sits down with chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (IUCN SSC SSG), Rima Jabado, and program officer of the IUCN SSC SSG Alexandra Morata to discuss their latest report The Global Status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras. This pivotal document compiles the knowledge of over 350 experts from 115 countries and stresses the urgent need to address the major threat facing sharks and their relatives across the globe: overfishing. But, it also highlights some beacons of hope. With the right protections and management measures, populations can recover - but for that to happen, we need action now. 

You can read the full IUCN SSC SSG report here https://www.iucnssg.org/-the-global-status-of-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras.html 

You can follow the work of the IUCN SSC SSG on instagram (@iucnshark). 

For a summary and infographics of the report, you can also visit https://saveourseas.com/the-iucns-report-on-the-global-status-of-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras-a-crisis-but-there-are-solutions/ or follow @saveourseasfoundation on instagram and @SaveOurSeas on X/Twitter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Next Frontier: How AI and Underwater Robots Can Help Us Better Understand Sharks with Martina Lonati

Sadly, us humans can't spend every hour in the ocean staring at sharks (unfair, right?!). But do you know what can? Robots. UNDERWATER robots. In today's episode, we are diving into the super cool world of ocean tech with research scientist Martina Lonati! Martina seeks to understand how new technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) can help fill in the gaps in our sharky knowledge, such as what they get up to at night, and who's hanging around in the deep...

You can follow Martina on Instagram (@martipermare) or by heading to these links: 

https://aims.jcu.edu.au/our-people/students/martina-lonati.737/

https://www.fishandfisheries.com/

https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/martina-lonati/

You can also read her latest publication, ‘Novel use of deep neural networks on photographic identification of epaulette sharks across life stages’ here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jfb.15887

 

Shownotes for this episode: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

You can also follow us on social media, we are @saveourseasfoundation on instagram and @SaveOurSeas on x/twitter!

Searching for Sawfish on the Amazonian Coast with Dr Patricia Charvet

There is a place where the largest and most powerful river in the world meets the Atlantic ocean, and one of the most threatened species of elasmobranch - the largetooth sawfish - finds one of its last refuges on earth. In this episode of World of Sharks, we are joined by shark scientist and conservationist Dr Patricia Charvet, who has dedicated her life to understanding and protecting sharks and rays in her home country of Brazil. We discuss why the Amazonian coast is such a special place, the astounding diversity of sharks and rays that live there, and why Patricia's passion for the weird, wonderful but Critically Endangered sawfish. We also discuss Patricia's current SOSF-funded project (co-led with Dr Vicente Faria), which seeks to confirm the region as one of the last strongholds for this species, and works across fisheries, government and law enforcement agencies to raise awareness and encourage support for sawfish, and tackle the illegal trade of sawfish products. 

You can follow Patricia on Instagram (@patricia.charvet, @amazoniancoastsawfish) and X/Twitter (@PatriciaCharve2, @amcoastsawfish). 

You can also find out more about her project here: https://saveourseas.com/project/conserving-largetooth-sawfish-on-the-amazonian-coast/

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

 

Lemon Sharks: Baby Sharks That Live in Trees with Jillian Morris-Brake

When life gives you lemon sharks...make a podcast about them! This week we are answering a request by listener Charlie to devote an episode entirely to warm-water loving Negaprion brevirostris, the lemon shark. And to help us learn everything there is to know about them is marine biologist, educator, author and founder/president of Sharks4Kids, Jillian Morris-Brake, who has a lot of experience with this species and even describes them as her favourite shark!

Expect a journey into the mangrove forest to meet the baby sharks that live among its tangled roots, with detours into shark yoga, social behaviour, and fish bellybuttons...

You can follow Jillian on social media (@biminisharkgirl) and Sharks4Kids (@sharkeducation). You can also find out more about the non-profit and how to get involved here https://www.sharks4kids.com/ and find out more about Project Lemon Aid here https://www.sharks4kids.com/lemon-shark-research

Find the shownotes for this episode here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

Come say hi to us! You can find us on socials: @saveourseasfoundation (instagram) and @SaveOurSeas (x/twitter)

How to Build a Career in Shark Science (Part 2!) Featuring the Guests of Seasons 5 and 6

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.