Jan 6, 2023
Tiger sharks could help discover and map seagrass ecosystems
Cameras attached to tiger sharks could help map and protect seagrass
Scientists have teamed up with tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) to characterise the largest seagrass meadow on Earth, an area in the Bahamas estimated to be up to 92,000 km2.
Sharks equipped with camera tags have provided important data to scientists to understand and map the seagrass ecosystems, by reaching deeper depth and more distant zones. A member of the research team reported “We wouldn’t have been able to map anywhere near the extent that we mapped without the help of tiger sharks”.