{"id":189584,"date":"2025-06-16T18:01:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/189584\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T18:01:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:01:24","slug":"a-rare-shark-is-seeking-refuge-in-miamis-biscayne-bay-heres-why-scientists-just-spent-8-years-tracking-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/189584\/","title":{"rendered":"A rare shark is seeking refuge in Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Here’s why scientists just spent 8 years tracking it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biscayne Bay has been identified as a crucial habitat for critically endangered great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), supporting them from birth through adulthood, according to a new study.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The eight-year study shows that juvenile great hammerhead sharks depend on the shallow waters of bay \u2013 sheltered in the heart of the Miami metropolitan area \u2013 during their earliest and most vulnerable years. <\/p>\n

The findings, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, also reveal that older sharks return to the Florida bay seasonally, making it a key site through their entire life cycle.<\/p>\n

\"GreatThe great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead in the family Sphyrnidae. It has sensitive electrical receptors on the surface of its head that it uses to detect prey, such as stingrays. Credit: Getty
\nHammerheads in Biscayne Bay<\/p>\n

Biscayne Bay is a subtropical estuary rich in marine life. However, it faces growing threats from urban development, pollution and declining water quality. These pressures could have serious consequences for the species that depend on it, not least great hammerhead sharks, say researchers from the University of Miami. <\/p>\n

In a bid to learn more about how the great hammerheads are affected, the team analysed the feeding and habitat use patterns of 62 individuals between 2018 and 2025. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur team employed a research technique called multi-tissue stable isotope analysis to track both short and long-term resource use, allowing us to gain new insights into the species’ dietary habits across different life stages,” says John Hlavin, lead author and doctoral student at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileCo-author Catherine Macdonald reviews a mark-recapture tag as part of the data collected during the study. Credit: University of Miami Shark Research and Conservation Program<\/p>\n

The study found that juvenile sharks feed mainly on small inshore stingrays in the bay for up to two years. <\/p>\n

After that, subadult sharks move out to forage on coastal reefs but still return to the bay in late spring and early summer. Some adults continue to feed on bay species, showing its long-term importance.<\/p>\n

\"InfographicInfographic showing how juvenile great hammerhead sharks rely on South Florida\u2019s Biscayne Bay. Credit: University of Miami Shark Research and Conservation Program<\/p>\n

The study raises concerns about fishing activity in the area. Great hammerheads are highly sensitive to capture stress, and the bay is a popular recreational fishing spot, says Hlavin.<\/p>\n

\u201cReducing interactions with these sharks \u2013 particularly avoiding catch-and-release fishing in key nursery areas \u2013 can dramatically improve survival for this endangered species,\u201d he concludes.<\/p>\n

More wildlife stories from around the UK<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Biscayne Bay has been identified as a crucial habitat for critically endangered great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran), supporting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3843],"tags":[728,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-189584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114694356149166434","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}