Sharks

It turns out that there still are new things under the sun – or in this case, under the water. Scientists have recently discovered not one but two previously-unknown species of the six-gill sawshark, which is itself rarely seen.

Scientists have observed four new species of shark using their fins to walk across the sea floor, a motion rarely seen in the animals and one that affords them a strong advantage over the smaller creatures they prey on.

In certain parts of the world, people such as surfers stand a real risk of being bitten by sharks. According to a recent study, however, a lightweight wetsuit fabric could greatly reduce the seriousness of injuries when such attacks occur.

Though there are just six fatal shark attacks each year globally, going for a swim off the back of a boat is not a pastime undertaken lightly. Now there's a scientifically-proven device which deters sharks and enables far safer ocean swimming. Is keeping the kids safe worth US$3,000?

A new electronic tag has been attached to four tiger sharks in the Caribbean in a test of a new satellite-connected fish tracking system. Described by co-developer ESA as cheaper and more animal friendly, the new tags will help to monitor the sharks' migration patterns for years.

​​Fans of a still-surviving megalodon, rejoice – a new species of deep-ocean shark has been identified. At just 5.5 inches long (about 144 mm), however, the American Pocket Shark is a bit smaller than the prehistoric super-predator.​

Scientists at the University of Exeter have turned to Twitter for a better picture of the effect ocean plastics are having on sharks and rays. Summing these reports, they identified more than 1,000 individual sharks and rays seen entangled in ocean waste.

The now-extinct megalodon was the largest predatory shark to ever live, while the great white is currently the largest of the predatory sharks. It now turns out that both fish likely descended from a small, flat shark that skulked along the seabed.

​Less than two weeks after it proclaimed a ban on single-use plastic items, Canada has now taken another step toward protecting the environment, by banning the import and export of shark fins. It is the first of the G20 group of industrialized and developing nations to do so.

The blood of great white sharks found in the waters off the coast of South Africa has been found to contain quantities of heavy metals that would be dangerously toxic to other forms of marine life, according to a newly published study.

Capable of swimming at speeds of up to 74 km/h (46 mph), the shortfin mako is the world's fastest species of shark. Scientists now have a new understanding of how it's able to reach such speeds, and they believe that their findings could be applied to improving human technology.

To many of us, the great white shark is a mysterious and scary creature from the deep – but now it’s a little less mysterious. Scientists have sequenced the entire genome of the great white shark, revealing a few clues as to how these animals are so good at healing wounds and resisting cancer.