Why do sharks swim near the shore? Scientists have finally discovered the answer

Travel

by Alex Mitchell

Summer is almost here, and so are the sharks.

For years, shark sightings near beaches and shallow waters have become more common as many people basking in the sun have had unfortunate encounters with the apex predator.

Now, as the start of Memorial Day weekend approaches, new research from Badaro Beach — a gorgeous enclave of sand north of Los Angeles — offers a clearer understanding of why so many sharks, especially great whites, approach shorelines.

the study, Published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Sciencediscovered that the “babies” of small sharks are en masse attracted to the shallowest waters they can find.

What draws kids to this beach – especially a kilometer or closer to the sand – for young jaws?

For starters, sharks do not receive maternal care after they are born.

Typically, pups and juveniles will congregate in smaller adult “nursery” pockets, as seen at a Santa Barbara area beach where 22 were tagged and tracked between 2021 and 2022.

As it turns out, the baby sharks love warm water, and have been spotted near the surface during the hottest times of the day.

“We showed that the juveniles changed their vertical position directly in the water column to stay between 16° and 22°C. [60.8° to 71.6°F]And, if possible, between 20 degrees and 22 degrees Celsius [32° to 71.6°F]”, first author Emily Spurgeon Phys.org said.

“This may be optimal to maximize growth efficiency within the nursery.”

However, Spurgeon added, “temperature is not the whole story,” and the researchers next want to get a better understanding of why baby sharks congregate in nurseries to begin with.

“Future experiments will look at individual relationships, for example, to see if some individuals move between nurseries side by side,” she said, adding that another factor that plays a role — as people do with sharks — is avoiding exposure to predators.