Curious ElfSeveral animal species use the Earth’s magnetic field to move to and from to visit locations. Amidst Sea Turtles, Migratory birds, Eels, and other animals, even Bonnethead sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field to make movements in the seas. We have always known that these shark species, along with Skates and Rays, are sensitive to electromagnetic fields. But we did not know entirely about how useful they made it until research was conducted a few years ago. This research was the turning point for most researchers who had no clue about these sharks and their behavioral patterns.
That is why researchers decided to conduct an experiment that was more of a test to examine whether sharks did possess this ability and used them for movements. A specific team of examiners from Save Our Seas Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports marine animal research, observed Bonnethead Sharks. But let us first understand what Bonnethead Sharks are.
BonnetHead Sharks- An Interesting Shark Specie
Although Bonnethead Sharks are a fascinating and tiny shark species, they are unique with their shovel-shaped head. These sharks love to migrate, and they may be commonly found in coastal inshore tanks. So far, Bonnethead sharks are known to be relatively safe as, to date, humans have only been able to record one unprovoked attack by them on us. Unlike other species where the female is generally smaller than the male, it is quite the contrary. They also love to prey on shrimps, seagrasses, bivalves, and snails.
You will be shocked to know that these fascinating creatures have shown 18 diverse types of behaviors so far. They may physically bite their female counterparts, involve in patrolling, love head shaking, and snapping their jaws. Most people believe that they do this to show a certain sense of dominance.
Experiment That Helped Prove The Point
At the start of the experiment, the researchers caught hold of around 20 young bonnethead sharks in the Gulf Of Mexico and brought them to the lab, where they put them inside a tank. The tank had a magnetic coil system to observe if the sharks responded to them and used the electromagnetic fields to move underwater in diverse locations. The process involved software in tracking their responses to watch which direction they tried to swim towards inside the tank.
Thus, the sharks were oriented nearly 600kilometers south from where they were initially brought. But here, the case was a bit different. Instead of swimming like they usually did, the sharks swam in a half-moon formation that stunned the researchers. They moved towards the left and right to push northwards. So, when they were put in the north direction, they would go to the south and vice versa. The sharks thus did not work according to the trend. At this point, the researchers concluded that maybe the sharks did not have an experience with such a north magnetic field. They also suggested that they learned to access the magnetic map only through experience. So, this was not something that they were born with.
This study is “a massive step ahead in our general understanding of the navigation potentialities of these animals,” says Yannis Papastamatiou from Florida International University. “It’s not an experiment in this sphere,” he states, “but it’s still quite a convincing proof.” Later, it was found out that researchers had also used similar techniques on turtles to find out if they also used electromagnetic fields to make movements underwater.
Electromagnetic Fields MayBe Common To Marine Animals
Catherine Lohmann, a biologist from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, states that the evidence may have differed entirely if a second modification impacted the diverse locations. Most sources assume that the electromagnetic field may be helpful for these sharks and other marine animals since they cannot access the landmarks a lot. However, the research conducted on the sharks helps to add to the more significant idea that magnetic fields aren’t something unknown to the marine species. It is pretty standard and helps them massively in moving underwater.
The Bottom Line
Researchers believe that BonnetHead Sharks are generally quite fascinating to observe. They may have different behavioral patterns that can be a bit perplexing. However, more research is being conducted to understand their behavior towards electromagnetic fields to make movements underwater.
