That's what researchers have concluded in a new study published online in the Journal of Zoology. To learn how white sharks stalk their prey at Seal Island in South Africa, marine biologists teamed up with a criminal justice expert who used profiling methods like those police employ to track down terrorists and serial killers. And he found definite similarities.
The good news is that the study did NOT reinforce the Jaws depiction of white sharks as malevolent killers that actively target innocent humans as victims. It did find that the most successful hunters among white sharks frequent particular locations, called "anchor points," near seal rookeries; hang out in waters close enough to attack easily but far enough away not to spook the seals; target young seals that are swimming alone; and strike from below in low-light conditions.
The firm conclusion was that the sharks aren't attacking random animals from random locations, but have patterns that -- especially for older, more experienced sharks -- give then a better chance of success.
"There's some strategy going on," says Neil Hammerschlag, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and co-principal investigator of the study.
And, he adds, "Our need for more knowledge of these fascinating animals has become critical because of recent drastic declines in their populations globally."
We're doing what we can to contribute. Our white shark research team is back in the field in southern California, tagging young white sharks to map their migrations. (And we hope to bring another young shark back to Monterey for a few months on exhibit.)
Meanwhile our colleagues at Stanford University continue to lead the Tagging of Pacific Predators teams that tag adult white sharks off the Farallones and Año Nuevo State Reserve each winter.
You can lean more on our website, or at a Project White Shark presentation next time you visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
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