
Welcome to World of Sharks, a podcast all about sharks, rays and their underwater habitat brought to you by the Save our Seas Foundation. Forget Jaws – there is SO much more to sharks than their fearsome reputation. Join scientist and shark nerd Dr Isla Hodgson as she chats with leading experts in shark science, conservation and storytelling to take a deep dive into the fascinating world of one of the most diverse, well-adapted, enigmatic, misunderstood and threatened groups of animals on the planet.
Episodes

12 hours ago
12 hours ago
In part 2 of our 'In the Field' episode with the Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre, we are heading to the neighbouring atoll of St Joseph to tag juvenile sharks and take part in their long term mark-recapture study. We'll also be finding out more about the sharks of D'Arros, and heading out at night in search of bull, mako, silvertip and grey reef sharks...
Time stamps:
03.55: Why is D'Arros so important to sharks and rays?
07.15: Tagging juvenile sharks on St Joseph atoll
23.00: Camping overnight on the atoll and sea turtle survey
31.19: Tagging adult sharks at night
36.00: Tonic immobility
40.00: Diving on receivers
44.09: Translating science into conservation action
49.18: What can we learn from D'Arros?
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre here: https://saveourseas.com/sosf-darros-research-centre/ or on social media: @darrosresearchcentre

12 hours ago
12 hours ago
In this episode of World of Sharks: In the Field, we are learning what it’s like to live and work on a tiny, remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and study sharks and rays in what can be considered one of the most pristine marine environments on earth today.
In part 1, we meet the team of the Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre (SOSF-DRC), explore the island and its vibrant underwater world, and swim with one of the largest aggregations of reef manta rays in Seychelles.
Time stamps:
02.30: Introduction to D'Arros Island and meet the team
16.00: Swimming with mantas and conducting a manta survey
27.52: Plankton sampling
40.24: Scuba diving to manta cam
43.51: Identifying mantas and the Seychelles Manta Ray Programme (SMRP)
**Learn about tagging sharks and more in part 2!**
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre here: https://saveourseas.com/sosf-darros-research-centre/ or on social media: @darrosresearchcentre

Friday Jun 20, 2025
Friday Jun 20, 2025
We're gonna need a bigger podcast...
In honour of the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws - one of the most iconic shark movies of all time - we are bringing you a very special bonus episode wholly dedicated to the film. Host Isla is joined by two jawsome guests: shark scientist and science communicator Amani Webber-Schultz (@curly_biologist), and social scientist and Associate Professor in public policy, Dr Chris Pepin-Neff (@csyd2202). Together, they discuss the cultural impact of Jaws and its negative effects on public perceptions of sharks and shark conservation, as well as its positive influences - including sparking the careers of a whole generation of shark scientists. And, they take a deep dive into the film itself, reliving their favourite scenes, sharing behind-the-scenes facts, and dreaming up their own pitches to Hollywood.
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
Check out Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), the organisation that Amani co-founded, here: https://www.misselasmo.org/
Amani's appearance on Wired: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8hjTa1IeNc) and Insider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=habSJ85RFBQ
You can watch Chris' TED talk on Rogue Shark Theory here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcmy2Bd23wE
Find out more about Chris' publications here: https://sydney.academia.edu/ChrisPepinNeff

Thursday Jun 12, 2025
White Sharks: Secrets of a Top Predator with Dr Alison Kock
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
They are the most iconic shark species of all time, known for their strength, hunting prowess, and long-distance travel. But there is a lot more to great white sharks than their reputation. They are not the mindless killers that the movies would have you believe – in fact, they are a highly curious and elusive species who continue to surprise us. And someone who knows white sharks inside out is Dr Alison Kock, a marine biologist who has spent the last 20 years studying their behaviour and ecology. In this episode, Dr Kock shares everything she knows about the world's largest predatory fish, including a scientific finding that's hot off the press...
Time stamps
06.08 - 16.00: Alison's career and passion for sharks
16.00 - 30.00: Great white shark physiology, ecology, and behaviour
31.50 - 40.00: Zooming in on False Bay and Alison's research
41.30 - 54.00: Relationships between humans and white sharks
54.19 - 60.00: Orca predation on white sharks
60.01: New scientific findings on white sharks
You can follow Alison on Instagram (@alison_kock) or find out more about her work and research via these links:
https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/alison-kock/
https://www.sanparks.org/conservation/scientific-services/nodes/cape-research-centre/meet-the-team
You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by heading to www.saveourseas.com, or by finding us on socials:
Instagram: @saveourseasfoundation
Bluesky: @saveourseas.bsky.social
X/Twitter: @SaveOurSeas
Facebook: Save Our Seas Foundation

Thursday May 29, 2025
Filling the Gaps to Protect Sharks in Angola with Ana Lúcia Furtado Soares
Thursday May 29, 2025
Thursday May 29, 2025
This week on the World of Sharks podcast we are meeting Ana Lúcia Furtado Soares, founder of the Angola Elasmo Project - a grassroots initiative focussed on the research and conservation of sharks and rays along the Angolan coast – to discuss the joys and challenges of building a project from scratch, working with data-poor fisheries and the importance of empowering local voices.
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
You can follow the Angola Elasmo Project on Instagram (angola.elasmoproject) and find out more about the project here:
https://saveourseas.com/project/documenting-shark-diversity-and-fisheries-
in-angola/
https://saveourseas.com/project/the-angola-elasmo-project/
https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/ana-lucia-furtado-soares/
You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation on instagram (@saveourseasfoundation), Facebook (Save Our Seas Foundation), Bluesky (@saveourseas.bsky.social) or by heading to www.saveourseas.com.

Thursday May 15, 2025
Thursday May 15, 2025
The trade in shark liver oil is an invisible threat to sharks. Not only is there limited research on the topic, but liver oil is notoriously difficult to track and trace. Enter Dr Madeline Green, molecular fisheries ecologist and Principle Investigator of the Forensic Fisheries Lab at the University of Tasmania. Madi is working to apply protocols from the tracing of olive oil to extract DNA from shark liver oil samples, in order to identify species and help monitor this complex trade. In this episode, we learn all about Madi's research, and how the trade in liver oil is presenting a significant threat to deep-water sharks.
You can follow Madi on Instagram: @madigreenmarine and find more information about her research here:
https://discover.utas.edu.au/Madeline.Green
https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/madeline-green/
https://saveourseas.com/project/using-dna-to-identify-the-sharks-in-squalene-products/
https://saveourseas.com/project/shark-share-global/
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) by following @saveourseasfoundation (Instagram and TikTok), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter) and @saveourseas.bsky.social (BlueSky)

Thursday May 01, 2025
Hungry Sharks? How a Shark's Digestive System Works
Thursday May 01, 2025
Thursday May 01, 2025
Spiral intestines! Curly poop! A shark that eats plants! And…turning your stomach inside out because you ate something dodgy?! In this episode we explore the ins and outs of a shark’s digestive system with animal physiologist Dr Samantha Leigh (@sea_science_sam), an expert in all things shark gut. We learn how a shark’s digestive system is designed for maximum efficiency, the different ways in which they ingest their hugely diverse diets, and how some sharks are able to survive weeks – sometimes months – without a meal. We also take a deep dive into Dr Leigh’s research on the bonnethead – a shark known to chow down on seagrass – and her recent SOSF-funded project, which is using the shark spiral intestine as a model to address one of our greatest environmental conundrums: the removal of microplastics.
You can follow along with Dr Leigh’s work and lab here: https://samanthacleigh.weebly.com/
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by following: @saveourseasfoundation (Instagram and TikTok), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter) and @saveourseas.bsky.social (BlueSky).

Thursday Apr 17, 2025
Epaulette Sharks: The Sharks That Can Walk On Land with Faqih Akbar Algozali
Thursday Apr 17, 2025
Thursday Apr 17, 2025
Why swim when you can just walk from a to b?! This week, we are taking a closer look at the "walking" or epaulette sharks, a group of nine species who have evolved a slightly unusual way of getting around. We're joined by Faqih Akbar Alghozali, co-founder of Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI) and SOSF project leader, who has lots of stories to share from his time in the field with the Kalabia, or Raja Ampat epaulette shark. Faqih and his team are trying to understand more about this poorly studied species, who are endemic to this remote paradise.
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
You can find out more about the EPI here: https://elasmobranch.id or follow them on Instagram (@elasmobranchid).
You can learn more about Faqih’s work here: https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/faqih-
akbar-alghozali/ or follow him on Instagram (@faqihbig)
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation: @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky), @SaveOurSeas (X/twitter)

Thursday Apr 03, 2025
The Fascinating and Weird World of Shark Eggs with Cat Gordon
Thursday Apr 03, 2025
Thursday Apr 03, 2025
Join us for a slightly different easter egg hunt, as we go in search of shark eggcases! From tiny catshark eggcases no bigger than your index finger, to a skate that lays eggs larger than your head and even an egg that looks (and functions) like a corkscrew - we explore them all with Cat Gordon, Senior Conservation Officer for The Shark Trust. And, we learn about one of the longest running citizen science projects for sharks, rays and skates: The Great Eggcase Hunt.
You can find out more about The Great Eggcase Hunt and how you can get involved here: https://www.sharktrust.org/greateggcasehunt
And follow The Shark Trust on social media: The Shark Trust (facebook) @thesharktrust (instagram) @SharkTrustUK (x/Twitter)
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast.
Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF): @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter)

Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Electroreception: The Shark's Sixth Sense with Professor Stephen Kajiura
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
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)