5 Animals With An Extraordinary Sense Of Smell

Albatross

Find Schools of Fish
The albatross can smell fish from the air. Researchers have found that an albatross will alter its course toward prey located well out of visual range. The birds can monitor a miles-wide swath of ocean as they fly in a single direction.

Eastern American Mole

Smell In Stereo
Scientists recently discovered that the Eastern American mole smells in stereo. Because they're blind and have little use for hearing, moles use stereoscopic smell to determine their location and the location of their prey.



Moths

Locate A Distant Mate
Moths don't have noses. Instead, they have antennae covered in scent receptors. While they don't detect every scent well, male silkworm moths can sense a single molecule of female sex hormone from at least a mile away.


Sharks

Detect Specific Proteins
Sharks breathe with their gills, so their noses serve only to smell. They are particularly well tuned for hunting. Sharks can sense a prey's amino acids at concentrations as low as one part per billion.


Dogs

Target a Single Scent
Dogs have a keen ability to discriminate among smells. An Auburn tracking dog can follow a single human trail, laid more than 24 hours before, across a campus crisscrossed by tens of thousands of students.

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The Basking Shark

The basking shark is the second largest species of shark (and fish) in the world behind the enormous whale shark. Basking sharks are also commonly known as the sunfish, the elephant shark and the big mouth shark

The basking shark is found inhabiting temperate coastal waters around the world, with the exception of the Indian Ocean. The basking shark is one of only three plankton-feeding shark species and is the largest fish in British waters.

Basking sharks are most well known for their enormous mouths which balloon out in order to take in as much water into it as possible, and are able to process over 1,500 gallons at a time. As filter-feeders, the basking shark's mouth contains hundreds of tiny teeth which are used to filter food particles out of the water.

Basking sharks are generally solitary animals found hunting alone, although basking sharks are also commonly seen in schools of up to 100 basking shark individuals usually during seasonal migrations. Basking sharks are also known to spend most of their time closer to the surface of the water where they can be easily spotted as they munch their way through the ocean.

As with other large fish and shark species, the basking shark is a carnivorous animal meaning that it only gets it's nutrients by eating other animals. Plankton is the primary source of food for the basking shark along with other small organisms such as fish, squid and crustaceans.

As the second largest shark species in the world, the basking shark has few natural predators. Apart from hunting by humans, the great white shark and the killer whale are the only real threat to the basking shark, mainly due to the fact that basking sharks are slow and generally sluggish swimmers.

Basking sharks reach sexual maturity (can begin breeding) when they are about three years old. Basking sharks are known to mate during the warmer summer months, and their pups (the largest of all shark pups) are born live after up to 3 years of development. Basking shark pups are known to become independent immediately, swimming away from their mother just after birth.

Due to over hunting and rising levels of pollution, the world's basking shark populations have severely declined meaning that today, the basking shark is considered to be an animal that is under threat from extinction.

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Great White Shark

Great white sharks (white shark) are found in coastal waters in every major ocean but the great white shark is most commonly sighted around Australia, South Africa, California and Mexico.

The great white shark can grow to more than 8m long and weigh well over 2,000kg. This makes the great white shark the worlds largest predatory fish! The great white shark has been known to attack humans in the water, this is often because the shark mistakes the human for another animal which it normally hunts since sharks do not like the taste of humans.

The great white shark hunts large fish, seal, porpoise, dolphin and whale, with the great white shark using an ambush technique to surprise their prey in order to secure their catch.

The great white shark is found in waters from just 1 m deep to 1,200 m deep. The great white shark has approximately 300 teeth which are arranged in a number of rows along both the great white sharks top and bottom jaws.

Due to the dominance and aggressiveness of the great white shark, the great white shark has no natural predators within the natural environment of the great white shark. The great white has shark has been known to fight with similar sized killer whales (orca) but this is a rare occurrence, and the great white shark has also been known to have been killed by large pods of dolphins that ram the great white shark.

The greatest predatory threat to the great white shark is the human being, many of whom kill the great white shark for both defensive reasons and for the meat of this apex predator. It is because of the threat to the great white shark from humans that has led to the population numbers of the great white shark decreasing making the great white shark a threatened species today.

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Zebra Shark

The zebra shark is a medium-sized species of shark, that is found in the warmer coastal waters and around tropical coral reefs. Zebra sharks are most commonly found in the Indian and South Pacific oceans.

Zebra sharks can grow to nearly 3 meters in length and can get to be 30 years old in the wild. Zebra sharks that are kept in captivity generally do not exceed 15 years of age. Zebra sharks can be identified by the yellow spots that are present on the back of the zebra shark.

Zebra sharks have a long, flattened body which helps them to remain unnoticed on the seabed. The zebra shark also has a long tail which allows it to be more agile in the water. Zebra sharks move their tails from side to side when they swim, in an eel-like manner.

Zebra sharks are omnivorous animals but tend to have a more meat-based diet. Zebra sharks feed on small fish, crabs, shrimp, snails and other small invertebrates along with squid and sea snakes which they forage for in the coral reefs.

Due to their relatively large size, zebra sharks have few natural predators as they are fairly dominant predators in their environment. Larger species of shark such as tiger sharks and bull sharks are the main predators of the zebra shark, along with humans who hunt them for their meat and fins.

The female zebra shark lays an average of ten large eggs which hatch after an incubation period of around 5 months. The baby zebra sharks are nearly half a meter long when they first hatch.

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Hammerhead Shark

Hammerhead Sharks are appropriately named after their flat shaped heads. Hammerhead sharks are large carnivorous fish that prey on large fish and occasionally hammerhead sharks will hunt small water mammals.

Hammerhead sharks are found in the warmer waters of oceans worldwide but hammerhead sharks are particularly found in coastal waters, and along continental shelves. The shallow waters that the hammerhead sharks inhabit allow the hammerhead shark to hunt prey more easily.

There are 9 different species of hammerhead shark worldwide, ranging from 3ft to 20ft in length! Hammerhead sharks are not commonly known to attack humans but can be aggressive if a human came into contact with a hammerhead shark.

The flat shaped head of the hammerhead shark is thought to allow the hammerhead shark to detect prey more easily, as it increases the hammerhead sharks sensitivity to sonar activity. Hammerhead sharks are thought to use sonar waves detection in a similar way to their five main senses, so its like the hammerhead shark has a sixth sense.

The shape of the head of the hammerhead shark is made up of two projections on either side of the face of the hammerhead shark, which gives the hammerhead shark the head shape that resembles a hammer almost rectangular in shape. The eyes and nostrils of the hammerhead shark are found at the ends of the hammer allowing the hammerhead shark to have better vision and smell of the surrounding water.

Like many other species of shark the hammerhead shark is a solitary hunter during the night, but during the daytime hammerhead sharks are known to form schools of up to 100 hammerhead shark individuals. Hammerhead sharks are commonly seen in larger groups during the summer months when the hammerhead sharks are migrating together in search of cooler waters.

The great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark and one of the few species of hammerhead shark that is potentially dangerous to humans. This is due to the sheer size of the giant hammerhead shark and also because the giant hammerhead is known to have an aggressive temperament. Other species of hammerhead shark tend to pose little or no threat to humans as these species of hammerhead shark are generally much smaller than the giant hammerhead shark and are slightly calmer in their nature.

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25 Largest Animals On Earth

This is a video about the 25 Largest animals on Earth. Check it out.

Video

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Cyclops Shark found by Fishing Crew

Most fishing boats at stay around the Gulf of California would usually get the occasional big fish, like a shark, when they’re fishing. However in 2011, a fishing crew that was setting nets off the Baja California Surcoast caught more than just the regular shark. It was pregnant with a unique albino baby that only had one eye in the center of its face.

The fishing crew actually caught a dusky shark, a specie that’s commonly found in the area. When they opened up the shark, they discovered the strange one-eyed baby and took pictures of it. it was shared on a fishing site Pisces Sportfishing and it went viral instantly. The look of the albino baby was really hard to believe. It resembled the cartoon character Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. and many people online think that it was just a fabricated photo. However, marine scientist says that the albino-Cyclopes shark is in fact real and that it’s optical tissues were fictional. However, the animal wouldn’t have survived if it was born.

The shark’s strange look was the result of its forebrain or prosencephalon failing to divide into the two hemispheres that most brains have during its embryonic development. Since its brain didn’t separate, a single optic lobe developed, hence the Cyclops result. Conditions like these often end up in miscarriages while those who actually survive until birth would die in a day or so. Since sharks need to defend themselves the moment they are born, it wouldn’t have the chance because of its birth defect.

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Big mouth! Super rare megamouth shark caught off Japan sheds light on life of this mysterious creature of the deep

A rare megamouth shark has been caught in waters off the coast of Japan. The animal was caught accidentally by fishermen.

An autopsy was performed on the 1,500 pound female shark, while onlookers watched the proceedings. Biologists believe the animal lived around 2,600 feet underwater.

This is only the 58th time in history members of this rare species has been captured or seen by humans. The first megamouth shark was caught in 1976, near Hawaii. The unfortunate shark was caught by an anchor, belonging to a U.S. Naval vessel. When this first animal was discovered, the find forced marine biologists to develop new classifications for family genus of shark.

Despite their large mouths, the docile animals are filter-feeders who consume vast quantities of krill to survive. Mouths are used to filter large quantities of water, straining out the small, protein-rich organisms. They are believed to grow to about 17 feet in length.

Megamouth sharks are rarely seen by humans, but they are known to inhabit the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They have only been spotted 13 times in waters off Japan. Sperm whales are their only known predator which can stretch more than 60 feet in length.

A fishing expedition off the coast of the Philippines also accidentally caught one of the rare animals in a fishing net. The 1,100 pound creature died after capture, and was brought to shore. There, the shark was butchered and eaten.

By examining this specimen, biologists hope to uncover information about the species. They also hope to learn about how the reclusive animals behave deep underwater.

"Along the inner lining of its gills are rows of cartilage-cored, finger-like gill rakers, which the animal almost certainly uses to strain food from the surrounding seawater. Known prey of the Megamouth Shark consists entirely of animals [that eat plankton], Yet most plankton is found near the surface, so it is something of a mystery how Megamouth manages to find enough to eat," Elasmo Research, a group dedicated to shark education, wrote on their website.

Just a few days ago, fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico caught an elusive goblin shark, which was the first ever captured in those waters. That animal survived the ordeal, and was released back into its native habitat.

More than 1,500 people gathered to watch the autopsy of the megamouth shark. Now, the remains are on display at the museum.

Source: Here

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Rare Goblin Shark Caught in Gulf of Mexico

Commercial fisher Carl Moore wasn’t sure what he had netted last week just south of Key West, Florida (map), when he saw the fish’s flat, blade-like snout. Only after the Georgia angler photographed and released his catch was its identity confirmed: It was a goblin shark, a rare deep-sea shark, and it’s believed to be only the second such specimen ever caught in the Gulf of Mexico.

These sharks are so rarely encountered that any information about them is eagerly devoured by researchers, says John Carlson, a research biologist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service. After Moore examined his curious catch and took a series of photos of it, he released it back into the ocean and contacted NOAA. Moore’s photos were referred to Carlson, who specializes in sharks and was excited to get more data on this rare one.

“We don’t know how long they live; we don’t know how often they reproduce, or even how big they are when they reproduce,” Carlson says. “They’re a mystery.”

Moore had told NOAA he thought the shark he released was about 18 feet (5.4 meters) long. When Carlson and colleagues analyzed Moore’s photographs, they gauged the length to be more like 15 feet (4.5 meters) long. And they made an educated guess about the shark’s sex.

Carlson says male sharks have external sexual characteristics called claspers, two fin-like appendages near the tail that males use to hold on to females while mating. “From the photographs, we don’t see those, so we’re suspecting it’s a female,” he says.

Source: Here

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VIDEO: Meet Ocean Ramsey, The ‘Shark Whisperer’ (Who Also Happens to Be Smokin’ Hot)

Now we’ve seen some pretty ballsy interactions with top predators, but this one has got to take the cake.

Ocean Ramsey is an avid ocean conservationist who’s swimming with sharks to raise awareness and change attitudes about these vilified sea-faring creatures.

She’s also smokin’ hot, which obviously isn’t the most important thing here, but still, damn.
Source: Here

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Sharks sense prey in surprising ways during pioneering study

 (Phys.org) —A team of scientists have unmasked the intricacies of how sharks hunt prey—from the first whiff to the final chomp —in a new study about shark senses that was supported by the National Science Foundation and published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

The study, led by scientists from the University of South Florida, Mote Marine Laboratory and Boston University, is the first to show how vision, touch, smell and other senses combine to guide a detailed series of animal behaviors from start to finish. Results show that sharks with different lifestyles may favor different senses, and they can sometimes switch when their preferred senses are blocked. That's hopeful news for sharks trying to find food in changing and sometimes degraded environments.

"This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive multi-sensory study on any shark, skate or ray," said Philip Motta, a USF biology professor and internationally-recognized shark expert who co-authored this study.

Source: Here

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Scientists Discover 310-Million-Years-Old Nursery of Bandringa Sharks

The long-snouted Bandringa shark (Elasmobranchii, Chondrichthyes) – a bottom-feeding predator that lived in an ancient river delta system in what is today the Upper Midwest – is likely one of the earliest close relatives of modern sharks.

It resembled present-day sawfish and paddlefish, with a spoon-billed snout up to half its body length. Juveniles were 4 to 6 inches long and grew into adults of up to 10 feet.

Source: Here

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More Than 300 Sharks In Australia Are Now On Twitter

Sharks in Western Australia are now tweeting out where they are — in a way.

Government researchers have that monitor where the animals are. When a tagged shark is about half a mile away from a beach, it triggers a computer alert, which tweets out a message on the . The tweet notes the shark's size, breed and approximate location.

Since 2011, Australia has had ; there have been six over the past two years — the most recent .

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New hammerhead shark species found off South Carolina

A team of South Carolina researchers had made a startling discovery: a new species of hammerhead shark.

While new species aren't rare these days, a find this large is. And especially in an area as well-known as the waters off South Carolina.

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New ‘walking shark’ species discovered in Indonesia

Sharks that walk apparently exist, but there is no need to cue the “Jaws” theme.

Epaulette (long-tailed carpet) sharks use their fins to glide across the ocean floor, which gives the illusion that they are walking.

Source: Here

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Sharks Slap Fish to Death

Thresher sharks slap fish to death, according to a new study that adds sharks to the list of ocean predators that can kill with just a slap.

For this latest study, published in PLoS ONE, Simon Oliver of the Thresher Shark Research and Conservation Project and his colleagues observed thresher sharks hunting schooling sardines. The action took place in the waters off of a small coral island in the Philippines.

Source: Here

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Great White Shark

If you ask moviegoers, especially the older crowd, what their scariest movie is to date, you’d probably get Jaws as an answer all the time. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie shocked millions of moviegoers, forever ingraining the images of man-eating sharks into our minds. It starts with showing how a small island community, whose chief income maker are its wonderful beaches, becomes shocked with news of a shark attack.

Sheriff Martin Brody finds the victim’s remains and starts to contemplate on closing all the beaches and turn the area to a ‘no swimming’ zone. However, Mayor Larry Vaughn, together with many local businessmen, disagree with the idea. Sheriff Brody backs down, but then regrets it after a boy is killed by another shark attack. The boy’s mother places a bounty on the shark and the small island community then becomes swamped with fishermen and shark hunters. Quint, a fisherman from the island who has extensive experience in hunting down sharks, becomes interested and offers his services. Soon, Sheriff Brody and Quint, with the help of Matt Hooper, a marine biologist set off to capture and kill the shark.

The shark featured in the movie is a great white shark, which has made a name for itself as one of the largest shark species. Found in many of the world’s oceans, the largest great white shark ever recorded was 20 feet in length and weighed 2,268 kilograms, however, there are claims of even bigger great whites swimming in the deep. These sharks reach their maturity at 15 years and can live over 30 years.

Although many people fear these massive apex predators, they are actually shy of humans. Some great whites do swim near boats, but only because they are used to humans feeding them.

Great White Shark Pictures

Great White Shark image

Great White Shark images

Great White Shark Picture

Great White Shark Video

 

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Mako Sharks

Mako sharks took new sizes and intelligence variables in the 1999 action/sci-fi thriller Deep Blue Sea which starred Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows and Samuel L Jackson. In the movie, researchers dealt with genetically modified mako sharks in a contained research facility which was dedicated in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

The plot took an interesting turn when three of the genetically modified – now bigger, faster and smarter – makos escaped from their enclosures, leading to a story where the once captors were now escaping from the captive sharks.

Though the mako sharks in Deep Blue Sea were comparably as large as Great Whites, mako sharks in real life aren’t exactly known for their gigantic size, but their link with human shark attacks is quite famed as their intelligence and speed is also one which many seafarers have heard about in one point in time.

In fact, the mako shark’s reputation for speed and intelligence was what made it the “star” in Deep Blue Sea, which looked into how potentially dangerous the mako shark is if it were actually bigger in size.

Highly migratory as a species, mako sharks are predatory, oftentimes following a prey’s life cycle and attacking particularly when a prey is vulnerable.

Given how limited knowledge about them is, inaccurate estimations of the mako’s lifecycle peg them to live as long as 32 years when talking about female makos, as males tend to live as long as 29 years. They could grow as large as 260cm for males and 335cm for females, based on the same study conducted by Natanson et al. in 2006.

As predators, they tend to swim under or beneath their prey, lurking away from a prey’s line of sight, then burst upwards in attack.

Silent, fast and smart, makos are often encountered in tropical and offshore temperate waters in different parts of the world, and if you do have plans of a snorkeling or scuba diving trip, it’d be best to ask if mako sharks are known to prowl in the locations you intend to spend your water-adventures in. 

Mako Sharks image

Mako Sharks images

Mako Sharks picture

Mako Sharks Wallpaper

 Mako Sharks Wallpaper

 Mako Sharks Wallpaper

Mako Sharks Video

 

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