Great snowy sharks are fairly darn big . Yet for all their bulk , these Pisces are amazingly hard to track down . Much of their sprightliness — especially their sexuality lives — remain a closed book to us . That may shortly change , as researchers say they have a wind on where many great blanched shark may beconvergingto mate and bear their immature : in the piss off Long Island .
If true , that ’s a moderately big heap for preservation biologist . For all the spiritualist frenzy around shark onset , the reality is that these animals are moderately rarefied and becoming rarer by the mo .
Chris Fischer is the hostile expedition leader of marine science organization OCEARCH . “ We turn a loss 200,000 sharks a day , about 100 million a class , ” hetoldtheObserver . This is hardly inconsequent . After all , it ’s not like shark are decorative ; as acme predators , they ’re crucial to the wellness of marine ecosystem .
“ Sharks are the residuum keepers of our ocean , ” Fischer said . “ If we lose our sharks , there wo n’t be enough Pisces to consume and we will lose our sea , and thus the planet . ”
So he and the OCEARCH team are doing everything in their power to convert that , from both the human and shark side . On Twitter , keen whitesMary LeeandKatharineare spreading awareness and excitement with every tweet . And in the water system , research worker are learning everything they can about these creatures as fast as they can .
That includes attempt to figure out where great whites are going . The shark ’ migration patterns , like their mating habit , remain something of a puzzle . ( “ There ’s no frickin ’ pattern at all , ” shark scientist Greg SkomaltoldWIREDin 2013 . )
This is whereMary LeeandKatharinecan help . They and three other tagged shark have been transmitting location information to OCEARCH for a few years now , and at least one pattern has emerged : These massive travelers seem to heart New York .
“ We ’ve tagged five peachy White on the east coast of the U.S. , ” Fischer allege , “ and based on some of their migrant rule , we mistrust Long Island , New York may be a birthing web site . ”
So , good tidings for you , New York : Your wildlife is even cooler than you thought . But if OCEARCH is veracious about a Long Island shark glasshouse , it may also be in more penury of security . “ The information coming from these sharks will help us understand the ecosystem off NY and manage the area toward a balanced abundant hereafter , ” Fischer say .
Want to pitch in ? Check out OCEARCH’sresearch Kickstarter Thomas Nelson Page .
