New Discovery Claims That Sharks Surf To Save Energy
Science proves that surfing is indeed boring.
A team of researchers led by FIU Marine Scientist Yannis Papastamatiou found hundreds of gray reef sharks floating on the updrafts from currents in the southern channel of Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia.
According to FIU News:
The sharks had developed a conveyer-belt-like system. When one shark reached the end of the line, it allowed the current to carry it back to the beginning point. The next shark in line did the same. And then the next. Papastamatiou was intrigued.
The team used a combination of acoustic tracking tags, animal-borne cameras and their own underwater observations to monitor the behavior. They were able to calculate energy usage of those that stayed in the channel surfing and those that left the channel. By hanging out and surfing the slope, the researchers say the sharks cut their energy by at least 15 percent. For an animal that can never stop swimming (since that’s how they get oxygen), the surfing action gives them some much-needed rest.
You heard it here, folks. Surfing is boring, take a nap instead.
Read the full story here.
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