Shark Superpowers, Science, and Social Media

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July 2023

Since we’re celebrating shark awareness, we’d love to know—why did you decide to study sharks? What makes them so interesting and important to you?

I knew from a young age that I would work with animals. I spent lots of time outside with my brothers exploring the ecosystems around us (deserts, forests, suburbs). We would look for whatever animals we could find and just observe how they existed in their natural homes. But, living in landlocked states, I never had the chance to do this same exploration in a marine ecosystem. I always loved the water growing up and I always wanted to go swimming, so it's no surprise that eventually curiosity around the ocean pulled me in like a riptide! The more I learned about the ocean, the more I wanted to keep learning. And when I started learning about sharks, I realized how important they are but how terrible of a reputation they have. I searched for answers on my shark-related questions until science didn’t have answers to my questions anymore. That’s when I realized if I wanted to learn more, and try to help change the way society looks at these beautiful and vitally important animals, I would have to do the research myself. So, here I am, working on my Ph.D and studying sharks!

Due to something known as "The Jaws Effect"—a belief that sharks intentionally attack humans—many people are afraid of sharks. Were you ever afraid of sharks, and if so how did you overcome this fear?

I was definitely afraid of sharks as a kid. I think part of the problem was how little I knew about them. We fear what we do not understand, and I simply did not understand sharks and the ocean when I was little. But I was fascinated by the ocean so I started learning more via shows and documentaries. I think because of my fear, whenever these documentaries mentioned sharks, I would pay even closer attention, almost like I was hoping for something that would make me less afraid. I didn’t want to be afraid. That fear started to dissipate the more I learned. Because, again, we fear what we do not understand. The more I learned, the more I understood, and the less I was afraid. This is why I decided to get involved with science communication! You can’t always change someone’s mind about wildlife, but you might be able to give them a piece of information that sticks in their head enough to send them on the same journey I went on. Maybe you’ll help them be just a little less afraid!

You’re currently a Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar studying basking sharks in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Why do basking sharks visit Stellwagen Bank, and what does your research focus on?

My research focuses on basking shark migration. For a long time, we thought basking sharks were found almost exclusively in temperate waters. We believed that, in the Atlantic, they stayed farther north, in cooler waters and didn’t venture into warmer, tropical and subtropical waters. Turns out we were wrong! They travel thousands of kilometers from the Northwest Atlantic down to the Caribbean and sometimes even down to South America! But we have no idea why they do this or how they are fueling such a long distance movement.

My research focuses on the energetics of how they make this migration happen by learning how the migration affects their body condition. The sharks spend time in the Northwest Atlantic, including Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, likely because there may be steady sources of food available during spring and summer months, though this is still something that needs investigating. Basking sharks primarily filter-feed on zooplankton such as copepods, and other tiny crustaceans about the size of a grain of rice.

Sharks are highly-specialized predators with adaptations ranging from electro-sensory capabilities, to long distance navigation, and even some with incredible camouflage skills. If you had to pick your favorite “shark superpower,” what would it be and why?

Honestly, it is so hard to pick just one favorite shark super power! There are over 500 species of sharks that we know of in our planet’s ocean. For about 450 million years, they have been evolving to fill the roles they play today and that means there are too many superpowers to count! But, I’ll name a couple favorites:

1. Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are the oldest known living vertebrate species on the planet. The oldest estimation for an individual was over 500 years old! This super slow and prolonged life history is a wild and weird strategy for living in the Arctic, a place you may not expect to find sharks!
2. Omnivory! Believe it or not, there are currently two known species of omnivorous sharks! We typically think of sharks as these hypercarnivorous predators, and many of them are. Bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) are known to eat crustaceans and small fish, but they also seem to be purposefully eating seagrass and obtaining nutrients from it! And though whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are filter feeders and mainly eat zooplankton, they seem to be chowing down on sargassum (a type of seaweed) as well!
3. The thresher shark’s (Alopias spp.) tail is another wacky adaptation that I absolutely love! But I’ll discuss that more in the next question!

Do you have a favorite pelagic shark and a favorite deep-sea shark, and why for each?

The thresher shark is my favorite pelagic shark (they’re my favorite shark in general)! They are so beautiful and their tails are stunning! It makes up around half of their total body length, and they use it as a whip! They’ll swim really fast at a bait ball, and then stop on a dime to whip their tail over the top of their head like a scorpion—that is amazing! They are also incredibly cute, as their faces make them look like they are too nervous to ask their waiter for ketchup! There are a few different species of threshers (the big eye, the common, and the pelagic) but I have a hard time telling them apart, so I consider them all to be my favorites. Threshers can be found along many coastlines around the world, including the east and west coasts of the U.S. Which means, if you keep your eyes peeled, you may have the chance of finding one in some of your national marine sanctuaries, including Stellwagen Bank, Monitor, Gray’s Reef, Greater Farallones, Cordell Bank, Monterey Bay, and Channel Islands!

My favorite deep-sea shark would have to be the pocket shark (Mollisquama parini). The pocket shark is one of the smallest shark species on the planet, lives in darkness at about 330 meters (1,082 feet) deep in the ocean, and produces its own light (bioluminescence). But they don’t bioluminesce in any ordinary way. They essentially spit bioluminescent goo out of this special pouch near their pectoral fins known as the “pocket gland”. That is unbelievably weird in the best of ways!

Do you have any advice for others who are considering a career in elasmobranchology (shark science)?

My advice for others going into shark science would be to let your passion and your curiosity guide you! Allow your wonderment of these gorgeous animals to help you come up with research questions. Let your excitement for your research get you through some of the more stressful parts of science. The joy and dedication you have for science is an asset. Use it!

Also, everyone has imposter syndrome from time to time. We all sometimes wonder how we got here and feel a bit out of place. The best way to combat this feeling is to surround yourself with a wonderful support network and practice gratitude! Remember how hard you worked to get to where you are and remember how excited “younger you” was to make it to the stage that you’re at now. Be proud of your accomplishments, no matter how small you think they may be.

In addition to being a shark researcher, you’re also a skilled science communicator. Why do you feel like communication between scientists and the public is important? How do you use social media and other platforms to educate others?

Communication between the science community and the public is unbelievably important for so many reasons! There seems to be a disconnect between scientists and the public, which I have never understood. As scientists, we spend years of our lives dedicated to some pretty specific topics. Wouldn’t you want to share the work you’re so passionate about with the world? Sharing this information with the public not only allows transparency between scientists and non-science public audiences, which I believe will help build a bit of trust, but it also helps create a more educated population that can then make informed decisions in their lives. This can include where they spend their dollars, how they vote on different policies, or even working past a fear or concern they have around wildlife or the ocean.

This has been my goal with my science communication through social media. I want to help inform the public about wildlife. I want to help fuel others’ enthusiasm for learning, and I want to learn with them. I want to help dispel the fear many people have around wildlife and the ocean. And I feel that I have been successful in doing these things. The best comments I receive on social media are those where people express how I’ve taught them something new or helped them begin the process of moving past some of their concerns and fears. These are the comments that let me know I am achieving my science communication goals. If I make even one person smile with one new fun fact, I know I’ve made a difference.

As a co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), how has your work for this organization benefited minority groups and/or those taking an interest in shark science?

My work with MISS has made a difference in more people’s lives than I ever could have imagined! We have created a community, a safe space, for people in a field where they have been historically excluded. We have funded opportunities for people who may not have otherwise had the means to take advantage of similar opportunities that are not funded (e.g. volunteer-based or “pay to participate” internship programs). We have lifted up the voices of many scientists of color to help them, in large and small ways, to get the recognition they deserve for their incredible work. In turn, this has created the diversity and representation in science that many of us desperately searched for when we were kids. It has been so rewarding to get feedback from members who feel like they now have the experience and confidence to move forward in this career path, and to know there are children that are excited to see scientists that look like them, letting them know that science is an option for them too! I am so grateful to be part of this organization and to be in a position that allows me to help people realize their shark science dreams!

As a young marine scientist with a long career ahead, what do you hope your legacy will be?

I hope I am known as a kind, spirited, enthusiastic, and passionate scientist and science communicator. I hope my legacy will be fun and accessible science content for all to enjoy and the path I am helping to pave for women of color that come after me. I want people to feel the same excitement I feel for wildlife when they watch my videos or engage with Minorities in Shark Sciences’ opportunities. I want the world to see the ocean, and sharks, through my eyes because I see nothing but beauty and I feel nothing but joy!