The video footage above, captured from a remotely operated underwater automobile, reveals the Fort Jackson sharks. Scientists spied 1000’s of them resting on the seafloor.
- Hundreds of sharks have been noticed sleeping on the seafloor off the coast of southern Australia.
- All of the sharks have been feminine; the scientists don’t know why.
- An underwater robotic automobile noticed the sharks, utilizing cameras that assist scientists see what’s occurring on the ocean ground.
Hundreds of sharks noticed resting on seafloor
On August 13, 2024, whereas wrapping up a two-week expedition off the southern Australia coast, scientists utilizing a remotely operated underwater automobile stumbled upon 1000’s of sharks asleep on the seafloor. Notably, the Port Jackson sharks all seemed to be feminine. It was the second time in six years that scientists at Australia’s Beagle Marine Park have seen and documented them within the midst of an all-girl shark slumber occasion.
The scientists introduced their extraordinary discover in an August 14 statement. Expedition chief, Jacquomo Monk, of the College of Tasmania, mentioned:
We had been hoping to see the sharks once more on this survey. Coming upon them twice in a 3,000-square-kilometer [1,158 square miles] park is like discovering a needle in a haystack.
It was very thrilling after we managed to traverse over an increase within the reef to get a glimpse of the sharks snoozing 65 meters [213 feet] under the vessel in nearly the identical location as they have been six years in the past.
These scientists have been conducting a survey of undersea life on the Beagle Marine Park in Australia, situated within the central Bass Strait, between Tasmania and Victoria.
They have been utilizing a remotely operated automobile, an underwater robotic outfitted with seven cameras, to picture the seafloor.
What are they doing?!
This gathering of sharks was, as talked about earlier than, noticed at Beagle Marine Park in southern Australia waters. It’s a rocky reef habitat with sponge gardens. Islands within the park are additionally vital breeding grounds for seabirds. So what are the sharks doing, sleeping below the ocean in that space? Monk commented about an vital clue:
One of many attention-grabbing issues we found this time is that the Beagle gathering seems to be just for females.
This poses extra questions than solutions for us, however we all know that the men and women of this species usually reside aside, besides when mating.
We don’t know precisely why the females are right here. Maybe they’re feasting on the native delicacy – doughboy scallops – earlier than the lengthy journey north to put their eggs.
Seeing them once more does inform us that the world is vital to them.
An interview (3 min 12 s) with expedition chief Jacquomo Monk concerning the Port Jackson sharks seen at Beagle Marine Park.
Extra about Port Jackson sharks
Port Jackson sharks are present in coastal waters off southern Australia. These strikingly patterned bottom-dwelling sharks, that develop to about 5.5 ft (1.7 meters) in size, are primarily energetic at night time. They feed on octopuses, squid, mollusks and crustaceans, and are normally discovered at depths of about 330 ft (100 meters).
Additionally, they breed in shallow waters off the coast of New South Wales and Victoria in late winter (late August to mid-November), the place they’re usually noticed by divers. There, the feminine sharks connect intricate spiral-shaped egg circumstances to the reef. It takes about 10 to 11 months for hatchlings to emerge.
Backside line: Scientists not too long ago noticed 1000’s of Port Jackson sharks, all feminine, sleeping on the seafloor off south Australia.
Via Australian National Environmental Science Program
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