#sphyrna

NEW HAMMERHEAD SHARK JUST DROPPED

Not every day does a new shark get discovered! Meet the Shovelbill Shark (Sphyrna alleni), a newly described species of hammerhead shark named after Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen. This new species is found in the coastal waters of the Caribbean and southwest Atlantic.

Hammerhead sharks are easily recognized by their laterally expanded and dorsoventrally compressed heads. Genetic studies have revealed that what was once thought to be a single bonnethead species (Sphyrna tiburo) is actually a complex, with Sphyrna alleni now recognized as a separate species. A longtime advocate for wildlife conservation, Paul Allen and his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation supported Global FinPrint, an international survey of the world’s reef sharks and rays. It was during this project that scientists conducted much of the fieldwork necessary to describe this newly recognized species. The Shovelbill Shark is smaller than the bonnethead, with distinct genetic and morphological characteristics, including a different number of vertebrae, which suggest it is separate from other hammerhead species. This new species is distributed from Belize to Southern Brazil, inhabiting estuaries, coral reefs, sandy and muddy bottom beds, seagrasses, and mangroves.

The Shovelbill Shark is a common component of artisanal fisheries in many Latin American countries and currently lacks proper management or protection. Previous reports indicate that this new species is undergoing overexploitation, making it imperative to safeguard their populations and establish fisheries regulations.

Photographs: Above is a male shovelhead shark (Sphyrna alleni), described from the Caribbean and the Southwest Atlantic. Below is Cindy Gonzalez, the lead researcher of the study, tagging the new species Sphyrna alleni (photo courtesy of the Mays Family Foundation).

Work continues on the watercolour commission, albeit slowly. After the Tiger shark it was the hammerhead's turn! There's actually several species, depicted here is the Great hammerhead. It's the largest of the hammerheads and unfortunately critically endangered. Knowing that it was especially saddening to see just how many of the species' photos on Inaturalist showed animals killed by sport fishermen or as bycatch...

Meet Balagbagan (Pangasinan), Krusan (Filipino) or Hammerhead shark! This particular species is the Great hammerhead shark, one of three species in the genus Sphyrna known in the Philippines (via Fishbase).

Why are their heads shaped this way? One of the reasons could be an improved, wider field of vision, compared to sharks with smaller or no “hammer heads” (McComb 2009). This helps them catch fish, especially stingrays gliding or hiding along the sandy sea floor.

Scientists also refer to these “hammer-shaped” heads as cephalofoil, or “head-wing!”

Artprint: https://society6.com/product/balagbagan-or-krusan-great-hammerhead-shark-sphyrna-mokarran_mini-art-print

Dergtober Day 7: Ancient

decided to do some cute doodles of some of my ancients. the Gaoler is Saga (he/him), Sandsurge is Sphyrna (she/her), Beast (he/she) is the Aberration, and the Undertide is Deluge (he/him).

We need to define the concept of “intelligence” It remains a misconception that sharks are unintelligent, surviving purely off instinct and spending their lives in pursuit of a meal

Elasmobranchs, (Selachimorpha as sharks, and Myliobatiformes like manta rays) have complex brains systems, also, sharks could be able to form social behaviors

Manta rays have one of the highest brain-to-body mass ratios of all fish, because they sense of smell is particularly acute, and almost two-thirds of the brain is dedicated to this sensory perception.

The telencephalon  located in the forebrain, receives olfactory information and is also responsible for the integration of memory, learning, and spatial awareness and acts as a multisensory relay station of sorts, receiving input from the visual and octavolateralis (including electrosensory, auditory, and mechanosensory) systems, look at this, is big!  The gross morphology of their brains resembled the most to that of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna), most likely due to the 3-dimensional habitat they live, their active and maneuverable lifestyles, highly developed social and migratory behavior, and possibly the increased ability of sensory processing thanks to the broad shape of their heads.

find more info at my tag sharks