Animals

Hammerhead sharks’ diets may affect if they roam or stay home

A taste for silky shark versus stingray may drive migration behavior

A group of small fish swirl around a curled hammerhead shark swimming in clear water

Smaller fish surround this great hammerhead shark. The sharks’ taste for different foods might have a surprising conservation impact.

Annie Guttridge

By Melissa Hobson

Great hammerhead sharks are known for their long migrations, but scientists have now discovered that some individuals in the Bahamas instead spend all year snacking without leaving their plentiful and protected home waters. Why would some individuals take off if others are happy to stay put?

The answer to this mystery might be their favorite foods, researchers report March 21 in Frontiers in Marine Science.