Hungry Sharks? How a Shark's Digestive System Works
Spiral intestines! Curly poop! A shark that eats plants! And…turning your stomach inside out because you ate something dodgy?! In this episode we explore the ins and outs of a shark’s digestive system with animal physiologist Dr Samantha Leigh (@sea_science_sam), an expert in all things shark gut. We learn how a shark’s digestive system is designed for maximum efficiency, the different ways in which they ingest their hugely diverse diets, and how some sharks are able to survive weeks – sometimes months – without a meal. We also take a deep dive into Dr Leigh’s research on the bonnethead – a shark known to chow down on seagrass – and her recent SOSF-funded project, which is using the shark spiral intestine as a model to address one of our greatest environmental conundrums: the removal of microplastics.
You can follow along with Dr Leigh’s work and lab here: https://samanthacleigh.weebly.com/
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation by following: @saveourseasfoundation (Instagram and TikTok), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter) and @saveourseas.bsky.social (BlueSky).
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51:54
Epaulette Sharks: The Sharks That Can Walk On Land with Faqih Akbar Algozali
Why swim when you can just walk from a to b?! This week, we are taking a closer look at the "walking" or epaulette sharks, a group of nine species who have evolved a slightly unusual way of getting around. We're joined by Faqih Akbar Alghozali, co-founder of Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI) and SOSF project leader, who has lots of stories to share from his time in the field with the Kalabia, or Raja Ampat epaulette shark. Faqih and his team are trying to understand more about this poorly studied species, who are endemic to this remote paradise.
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
You can find out more about the EPI here: https://elasmobranch.id or follow them on Instagram (@elasmobranchid).
You can learn more about Faqih’s work here: https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/faqih-
akbar-alghozali/ or follow him on Instagram (@faqihbig)
Find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation: @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky), @SaveOurSeas (X/twitter)
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1:00:24
The Fascinating and Weird World of Shark Eggs with Cat Gordon
Join us for a slightly different easter egg hunt, as we go in search of shark eggcases! From tiny catshark eggcases no bigger than your index finger, to a skate that lays eggs larger than your head and even an egg that looks (and functions) like a corkscrew - we explore them all with Cat Gordon, Senior Conservation Officer for The Shark Trust. And, we learn about one of the longest running citizen science projects for sharks, rays and skates: The Great Eggcase Hunt.
You can find out more about The Great Eggcase Hunt and how you can get involved here: https://www.sharktrust.org/greateggcasehunt
And follow The Shark Trust on social media: The Shark Trust (facebook) @thesharktrust (instagram) @SharkTrustUK (x/Twitter)
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast.
Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF): @saveourseasfoundation (instagram), @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter)
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57:40
Electroreception: The Shark's Sixth Sense with Professor Stephen Kajiura
In this episode, we are exploring the ‘sixth sense’ of sharks – electroreception! We are joined by sensory biologist and shark elasmobranch expert Dr Stephen Kajiura, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to discuss how sharks are able to detect minute electrical signals and use this sense to pinpoint prey with mind-blowing accuracy. We also get deep into functional morphology, zooming in on the Ampullae of Lorenzini and the unique morphology of the hammerhead. And, we chat about how electroreception doubles up as a kind of internal shark sat nav, helping them to navigate entire oceans without any landmarks to speak of.
You can follow Stephen's lab and research by heading to www.elasmolab.com or by following @sharkmigration on social media.
Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast.
Find out more about us by following @saveourseasfoundation (instagram and tiktok), @SaveOurSeas (X/Twitter) and @saveourseas.bsky.social (Bluesky)
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52:12
The Lives of Sharks with Dr Dean Grubbs
How do sharks learn to be a shark? Do they really eat their siblings? Is there such a thing as a shark teenager? How do sharks find a mate? And what happens when they reach old age? In this episode, we answer all these questions and more as we embark on a true deep dive into the lives and life histories of sharks, with elasmobranch expert and SOSF Scientific Advisor Dr Dean Grubbs!
Dean is Associate Director of Research for the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory (https://marinelab.fsu.edu) - @FSUmarinelab.
Shownotes for this episode: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast
You can find out more about the Save Our Seas Foundation on socials -
Instagram and TikTok: @saveourseasfoundation
X/Twitter: @SaveOurSeas
Bluesky: @saveourseas.bsky.social
Welcome to World of Sharks, a podcast all about sharks, rays and their underwater habitat brought to you by the Save our Seas Foundation. Forget Jaws – there is SO much more to sharks than their fearsome reputation. Join scientist and shark nerd Dr Isla Hodgson as she chats with leading experts in shark science, conservation and storytelling to take a deep dive into the fascinating world of one of the most diverse, well-adapted, enigmatic, misunderstood and threatened groups of animals on the planet.
Australia