Researchers have discovered an action that may seem unusual in sharks… walking. A video shows a species of newborn shark “walking”, with baby steps. Apparently, this is a strategy that helps this animal survive difficult situations at sea.
Typically, when a sea creature gets stranded on a coral reef, for example, it’s abandoned. When this situation occurs in shallow tides with reduced oxygen levels and rising temperatures, most aquatic species cannot resist, however, the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum), in addition to being able to hold its breath for hours and tolerate a range of temperatures, it can work.
According to Florida Atlantic University associate professor Marianne E. Porter, who studies the mechanical structures and movement of sharks, it is possible to observe them walking on reefs when exposed at low tide. Additionally, in a statement to Live Science, she said these tough little sharks can walk on land and underwater, over 27 meters, until they find a suitable spot where they can wait for the tide. Watch the walking shark video:
It is one of nature’s most distinctive survival strategies. The findings might help scientists understand how other aquatic species might behave under the stresses caused at sea by climate change, such as rising carbon dioxide levels.
Until this study, there was nothing in the scientific literature on epaulette sharks, juveniles and babies. However, study co-author Porter and professor of marine biology at James Cook University in Australia, Jodie Rummer, already suspected that these individuals walked differently, as they were born plump, with “puffy” bellies.
According to Porter, “Form often impacts how we move.” She compares the development of humans and sharks: “Baby humans walk differently to balance their giant heads, and we hypothesized that baby sharks would swing their bodies and move their fins differently to accommodate their giant bellies. »
After reviewing several videos of young sharks walking and swimming, the researchers were surprised to find that all young sharks, from hatchlings to juveniles, seemed to move in the same way. They had to look at several key parameters, including speed, tail strike frequency, body flex and fin rotation, to come to this conclusion.
Although these aquatic animals are able to “walk” on land, the recent study only looked at their performance underwater. Future studies should examine whether baby sharks adjust their rhythm while on land.
Additionally, this research might be useful to evolutionary biologists studying how animals moved from water to land, as well as biomechanical researchers studying how fins and feet interact with surfaces and how animals adapt to their body shape to move by gravity in different environments. .
Via : LiveScience
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