World of Sharks

What is the most endangered species of shark? With Dr Dave Ebert

Recent studies have shown that over a third of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction. But which species are the most at risk? What are some of the rarest, but least well known, sharks in the world? And, when a species has seemingly fallen off the face of the earth, how on earth do you find it again?

This week, we’re joined on the pod by rare shark expert Dr Dave Ebert (@lostsharkguy)! Dave has travelled all over the world in search of sharks who are thought to have gone extinct, and has contributed to many an IUCN red list assessment for sharks and rays. At Sharks International in Valencia, host Isla sat down with Dave to talk  pondicherry sharks, lost sharks, sawfishes and guitarfishes; how to find sharks that haven’t been seen for 50 years and what it’s like to name a shark that’s brand new to science.

Shownotes: https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth

Get in touch: isla@saveourseas.com (email), @saveourseasfoundation (instagram) and @SaveOurSeas (twitter)

 

Telling epic stories about sharks with Bertie Gregory

What's it like to be booped by a leopard seal? Or dive with over 300 fin whales in Antarctica? And how do you keep your cool when filming underwater in one of the most challenging and remote places on earth, while tiger sharks patrol the shallows above you? At Wildscreen film festival, host Isla sat down with award winning film-maker and wildlife cameraman Bertie Gregory to chat about his new series, Epic Adventures, and go behind the scenes of episode 3, 'Shark Island', where Bertie searches for aggregations of scalloped hammerheads in the Cocos Islands. We talk about insane wildlife spectacles, how to interact with and portray large predators responsibly, and telling stories about some of the issues facing the natural world with hope and optimism. 

Epic Adventures is now streaming on Disney Plus. You can also follow Bertie's escapades on instagram (@bertiegregory). 

You can find the shownotes for this episodes, and more episodes of The Whole Tooth, over at www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth. 

What did prehistoric sharks look like? With Emma Bernard

What did the oceans look like 450 million years ago? Who were the weird and whacky ancestors of the sharks we know today? And could megalodon still exist? This week we're going back in time to answer all these questions and more at the Natural History Museum in London, with curator of fossil fish Emma Bernard! 

Find out more about Emma and the Natural History Museum here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/departments-and-staff/staff-directory/emma-bernard.html. Read her fintastic article about Megalodon here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/megalodon--the-truth-about-the-largest-shark-that-ever-lived.html. 

You can follow the Save Our Seas Foundation by heading to @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @SaveOurSeas (twitter) or by heading to www.saveourseas.com. And find the shownotes for this episode at www.saveourseas/worldofsharks/thewholetooth. 

 

Orca predation on white sharks with Alison Towner

What happens when two top ocean predators collide? This was a question that PhD candidate and white shark expert Alison Towner was faced with six years ago, when the subjects of her thesis started to wash up on shore with unusual, but fatal, injuries. Fast forward to 2022 and Alison has just led her second publication on the predation of white sharks by orca in South Africa, a behaviour that has never been documented until now. In this episode we chat to Alison about her findings, why we think orca are only now starting to show interest in white sharks, and the potential effects of predation by orca on not just white sharks as a species, but the entire ecosystem…

Follow Alisons work here: @alisontowner (instagram), @AlisonTowner1 (twitter)

You can find the shownotes for this episode here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth

Find out more about us by following @saveourseasfoundation on instagram, @SaveOurSeas on twitter, or by heading to www.saveourseas.com

 

How can art help shark conservation? With Rachel Brooks

Art has the power to change perspectives, and promote awe and wonder - can it do the same for sharks? We chat to ocean artist Rachel Brooks about putting pen to paper in the name of shark conservation.

You can see her work for yourself by following RachelBrooksArt on social media, or here https://rachelbrooksart.com/.

Shownotes for this episode are here: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth. 

Follow us on social media! We're on @saveourseasfoundation (instagram) and @SaveOurSeas (twitter). 

Could microplastics impact sharks? With Dr Alina Wieczorek

Whale and basking sharks are some of the biggest fish in the ocean – but could these gentle giants be threatened by something so small it can’t even be seen with the naked eye? We pitch this question to microplastics and pelagic fish expert Dr Alina Wieczorek. Alina has studied microplastic pathways from the smallest to the largest creatures in the ocean, and in some of the deepest and most remote places in the world. She has some really interesting, and at times deeply concerning, insights for us, but also a message of hope.

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth

You can follow us: @saveourseasfoundation (insta) @SaveOurSeas (twitter).

Secrets of the Galapagos whale sharks with Jonathan and Sofia Green

This week we celebrated International Whale Shark Day! In honour of the world's largest fish, we spoke to Jonathan and Sofia of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project to find out all about this incredible species, their connection to the Galapagos Marine Reserve, and what questions Jonathan and Sofia are striving to answer through their research. We discuss the mysterious life history of the whale shark, how climate change and fishing pressure might affect them, and how to conduct an ultrasound on a 30-foot shark while swimming alongside it...

You can find out more about the Galapagos Whale Shark Project here: https://www.galapagoswhaleshark.org/, or by following @galapagos_whale_shark_project on instagram. 

You can find the shownotes of this episode at www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast. 

Season 3 Trailer!

We're back!

Season 3 of The Whole Tooth goes live on Thursday September 1st! We'll be answering ALL your shark and ocean related questions with the help of more fantastic experts in shark science and conservation, including whether sharks are affected by microplastics, if great white sharks are still apex predators, and what prehistoric sharks looked like...

Tune in for all these episodes and so much more!

Find out more over at www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast or follow us on social media on @saveourseasfoundation (instagram) and @SaveOurSeas (twitter). 

 

Ask us anything about sharks! With James Lea, Jade Schultz and Lauren de Vos

It's the last episode of the season which means once again, the Save Our Seas team have gathered to answer as many of your questions about sharks as we can in 45 minutes! In this episode, we cover:

- How do ampullae of lorenzini work? (6.48)

- How do baby sharks get out of their egg-cases? (10.43)

- Are sharks fish or mammals? (15.14)

- How many species of sharks are there? (18.58)

- Is it okay (and safe) to freedive with whale sharks? (22.23)

- Is using bait to lure sharks harmful? (25.38)

- Any positive ocean news? (35.00)

- Any advice for high school students looking to get into marine science and/or conservation? (43.11)

- What is your favourite elasmobranch? (59.30)

Shownotes: https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/thewholetooth. 

Diving into deep sea sharks! With Paul Clerkin and Sofia Graça Aranha

Welcome back to the Whole Tooth, a podcast all about sharks, rays and the oceans. This week, host Isla is joined by deep-sea shark researchers Sofia Graça Aranha and Paul Clerkin to explore the depths, and meet some of the fantastical, alien-like and perfectly adapted sharks, rays and skates that live there. And, just how much they need our protection.

Follow Sofia and Paul's work on instagram: @sofiagracaaranha and @paul_j_clerkin

Find us on @saveourseasfoundation (insta) and @saveourseas (twitter), or head to www.saveourseas.com to find out more about our work.