Flexible Great White Sharks Adapt Behavior Based on Different Hunting Scenarios

Flexible Great White Sharks Adapt Behavior Based on Different Hunting Scenarios
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons/Pterantula (Terry Goss) )

Sharks are intelligent and great white sharks have shown this ability. Additionally, they are flexible and adjust their behavior depending on the hunting scenarios.

Great White Sharks Are Flexible

A new study discovered that great white sharks have flexible behavior. Researchers from Murdoch University, Oregon State University, Stanford University, and California State University Monterey Bay tagged a total of 21 great white sharks of different ages with trackers.

These sharks were discovered in a range of coastal settings in California, from shallow seas close to the shore to islands. The purpose of these tags was to track the sharks' whereabouts, depths, and movements. They were intended to cling to the animals for six days, after which they were supposed to come loose and float to the surface.

After gathering all the trackers, the researchers examined the data to see whether sharks always acted the same way or changed their behavior depending on their surroundings. They found that the sharks were more active during dawn and dusk, indicating that they were looking for prey in places where there were more fish prey than mammal prey.

"We found the greatest differences in movements were from sharks from different areas, while the size of the shark and time of day was also important," study author Oliver Jewell, a researcher at the University of Western Australia and previous Murdoch University Ph.D. candidate, said in a statement. "This means the sharks are adapting their movements and routines to suit their local environment, rather than behaving the same way everywhere they're found."

The researchers explain in their report that great white sharks can take advantage of local feeding opportunities and prey behaviors by adapting their behavioral patterns. Shark activity is higher at dawn in various parts of South Africa due to the greater vulnerability of Cape fur seals.

On the other hand, sharks adapt to living in kelp forests by staying active all day long in order to maximize their chances of spotting prey in these places.

California is the perfect setting for our research because it is home to adult and juvenile great white sharks. The place also offers an abundance of potential habitats for the sharks to travel through.

White sharks have been observed in central California for at least 30 years, according to Jewell, and they return to the same sites annually. What influenced their routines and movements when they were there was what the researchers wanted to find out.

The researchers anticipate that their findings and the technology they have developed for tagging sharks will aid in understanding these enormous animals and open up new avenues for behavioral research.

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Diver Escapes Fatal Attack From a Great White

In related news, a video showed a harrowing moment when a diver escaped a near-death attack from a great white. Jimmy the diver was enclosed in a transparent Plexiglass cage and sharks could be seen circling the cage.

For a few minutes, a 16-foot great white shark was observed circling the cage. From the depths, the shark surfaced and repeatedly butted the cage with its snouts.

But in the end, the huge great white lunged at the cage, shattering half of it and exposing Jimmy. Luckily, he managed to get away and survived to share his tale.

Although Jimmy managed to escape the shark's mouth, it was said to be a miracle that he survived. The Plexiglass preserved his life when the shark attacked him.

Jimmy claimed that the bottom of the cage protected him. The shark broke the glass and immediately left. He only saw its large tail when it dove under.