Tracking sharks has become a lot easier now thanks to Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Research Institute in South Florida.
A new interactive website allows users to track over 73 sharks and monitor their behavior and movements over time.
Shark lovers can choose different species to see where and how far they have traveled throughout the world. Some of the species include Mako Sharks, Tiger Sharks and Sandtiger sharks.
“The mission is to do research on sharks, it’s a big part of what we do,” said Mahmood Shivji, director of Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Research Institute.
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The sharks are monitored through electronic satellite trackers that are tagged to them.
NSU began tagging sharks in 2009 and developed the website in 2011. The website was originally created for researchers, students and colleagues at NSU but due to high interest in sharks, it is now open to everyone.
“Young people are fascinated by sharks, it doesn’t matter where you live. You seem to want to know about sharks, and you can access it from anywhere all over the world, and see the behavior of the sharks,” Shivji said.
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With new data being released from the tracking equipment, researchers are now able to know how many times a shark goes into the surface and understand their behavior, whether they are hunting or migrating to a new location.
Discovery, the network known for the “Shark Week” series on cable television, is now using NSU’s tools to track those sharks for further research.
The program is being funded by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Save Our Seas Foundation, NSU and private donors. Often, the names of the sharks being tracked are named by donors who have contributed to the project.
Click here to view the shark-tracking website.
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Photo Credit: Nova Southeastern Univerisity