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Hey #SharkWeek friends! I'm watching "Great White Serial Killer Extinction" (and... I've not got high hopes for this episode to be honest).
I'm a shark scientist who studies shark habitat use/human-wildlife conflict. I'll be sharing facts about #sharks, fact-check, etc.
I'm a shark scientist who studies shark habitat use/human-wildlife conflict. I'll be sharing facts about #sharks, fact-check, etc.
Ralph Collier has studied shark/human interactions for more than 40 years! I believe he is even director of the Global Shark Attack File now? He is also Founder and President of the Shark Research Committee. More on him here: https://www.sharks.org/ralph-collier #SharkWeek
#SharkWeek Although southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) are not considered prey for white #sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), sharks do bite them.
#SharkWeek The proportion of #seaotters having #shark bites has apparently been increasing and supposedly white shark bites now account for over half of recovered carcasses.
#SharkWeek "As far as we can tell, a white shark has never eaten a sea otter," says Tim Tinker, a wildlife ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center, with a joint appointment at the University of California, Santa Cruz: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/06/great-white-sharks-attack-sea-otters-california/
#SharkWeek Decades of conservation work have boosted sea otter populations in many parts of the North Pacific, but now a threat to their population are these bites from #sharks. But they aren't feeding- they are investigative, with sharks getting a mouth of fur.
Research on the relationship between #seaotters & #sharks has already been done! It found they were being bitten more frequently in the summer, around the time adult sharks come closer to shore before moving on to #seal rookeries. #SharkWeek
More here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2203631-sea-otters-are-bouncing-back-and-into-the-jaws-of-great-white-sharks/#ixzz6Urmf8TFE
More here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2203631-sea-otters-are-bouncing-back-and-into-the-jaws-of-great-white-sharks/#ixzz6Urmf8TFE
So why bite #seaotters? The researchers think the #sharks, which are low on fat reserves after their long migration, are less discriminating towards any seal-shaped animals they encounter.
#SharkWeek
#SharkWeek
But #shark teeth are hella sharp. And great white #sharks are big... way bigger than #seaotters. So, of course, even an exploratory bite from these sharks can be fatal. One bite is all a shark takes to kill a sea otter. #SharkWeek
In a recent study, Teri Nicholson, a senior research biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, trawled through 30+ yrs of #seaotter stranding records (725 animals) and found that the #sharks are keeping the sea otters hemmed in. #SharkWeek
#SharkWeek Apparently 63% of #seaotter strandings are due to emaciation. But at the edge of their range is another story, with #shark bites causing the largest proportion of strandings. More here with @hakaimagazine: https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/sea-otters-are-walled-in-by-hungry-sharks/ #sharks
Fatal #shark encounters may make it harder for #seaotters to re-establish themselves in some areas. But not all hope is lost! By documenting when/where they are most at risk of bites, scientists can adjust their release practices to give the otter a fighting chance!
#SharkWeek
#SharkWeek
I really hope this #SharkWeek episode doesn't inspire people to kill great white #sharks because they sometimes bite #seaotters. Bit nervous about that because sharks already have a hard time in the media. Should... should I tell you all why sea otters are jerks?
For those #SharkWeek viewers who want to learn more about great white #sharks, I have a whole thread about them on my Twitter timeline! You can also learn more about them through @FinsUnited.
OKAY #SharkWeek, let's talk about #seaotter being JERKS.
I know, I know. They look so cute and innocent and cuddly. But did you know that males have been observed to regularly hold a females' heads underwater, biting their faces, and forcing them into submission for mating?
I know, I know. They look so cute and innocent and cuddly. But did you know that males have been observed to regularly hold a females' heads underwater, biting their faces, and forcing them into submission for mating?
#SharkWeek "Oh but a few sea otters getting bullied into sex isn't... bad?"
One study showed that MANY southern #seaotters die as a result of the trauma caused by this super aggressive sexual act.
One study showed that MANY southern #seaotters die as a result of the trauma caused by this super aggressive sexual act.
Apparently male #seaotters are also known to force themselves onto pups - those baby sea otters who have not yet reached sexual maturity. #SharkWeek
"Oh boy, that's bad."
IT GETS WORSE. This aggressive sexual behavior isn't kept to just their species! There are NUMEROUS reports of male #seaotters forcing themselves violently on baby harbor seals. #SharkWeek
Not so cute now, huh?
IT GETS WORSE. This aggressive sexual behavior isn't kept to just their species! There are NUMEROUS reports of male #seaotters forcing themselves violently on baby harbor seals. #SharkWeek
Not so cute now, huh?
"No..."
AND AND AND the young seals often die because these encounters with male #seaotters are so aggressive. They can even suffer from internal perforation! #SharkWeek
AND AND AND the young seals often die because these encounters with male #seaotters are so aggressive. They can even suffer from internal perforation! #SharkWeek
"Okay, that's not cool."
AND IT GETS WORSE. #seaotters practice necrophilia. If you don't know what that is... Google. Just ew. #SharkWeek
AND IT GETS WORSE. #seaotters practice necrophilia. If you don't know what that is... Google. Just ew. #SharkWeek
"But, Meli, many many animals exhibit pretty horrific sexual behavior." True.
However, it seems #otters also like to kill things. Exhibit A:
This isn't the only report of behavior like this! #SharkWeek
However, it seems #otters also like to kill things. Exhibit A:
This isn't the only report of behavior like this! #SharkWeek
If all of this hasn't made you see otters in a different light... well, can't help ya there.
This concludes Meli derailing from #sharks this #SharkWeek to ruin a cute, cuddly animal for you. (Tune in next week when I go to a bar and ruin dolphins while I drink tequila/rum)
This concludes Meli derailing from #sharks this #SharkWeek to ruin a cute, cuddly animal for you. (Tune in next week when I go to a bar and ruin dolphins while I drink tequila/rum)
A strand or two of kelp on an otter does not a kelp forest make. #SharkWeek
Talking shit about #seaotters is what pushed me past 19k followers.
Thanks, everyone. I like you guys.
I think that concludes my #SharkWeek tweeting for the day! Now to inundate my other social media platforms (like my Instagram - @ melissacristinamarquez) with #sharkscience!
Thanks, everyone. I like you guys.
I think that concludes my #SharkWeek tweeting for the day! Now to inundate my other social media platforms (like my Instagram - @ melissacristinamarquez) with #sharkscience!
