Skip to main content
Tags: great white | shark | lair | pacific

Great White Shark Lair Found in Pacific Spot Considered Barren

Great White Shark Lair Found in Pacific Spot Considered Barren

(Mohd Fuad Salleh/Dreamstime.com)

By    |   Wednesday, 19 September 2018 09:15 AM EDT

A great white shark lair has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean, providing insight into why the voracious predators have been flocking to a mysterious region that researchers had deemed a barren, empty void.

Researchers from five scientific institutions set out on an expedition last spring, led by Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, to determine what was drawing the sharks to the spot between Baja California and Hawaii, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

From the surface, the region appeared to be void of any prey or suitable habitat for great whites, yet each year the sharks made a pilgrimage to the spot.

Researchers now have established that the area is not barren at all, but is home to a plethora of squid and smaller fish that served as prey to the sharks.

“The story of the white shark tells you that this area is vitally important in ways we never knew about,” said Salvador Jorgensen, a research scientist for the Monterey Bay Aquarium and one of the expedition’s leaders, according to the Chronicle. “They are telling us this incredible story about the mid-water, and there is this whole secret life that we need to know about.”

The team came to their conclusion after tracking 20 individual tagged sharks to the area, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Ten of these tags were recovered, which contained essential data of the sharks’ migration habits.

The researchers then used various oceanographic instruments and methods to study the ocean conditions and marine life at the location.

“We found a high diversity of deep-sea fish and squids (over 100 species), which in combination with observations made by the ROV and DNA sequencing, demonstrate a viable trophic pathway to support large pelagic organisms such as sharks and tunas,” said lead researcher Barbara Block.

Jorgensen said their research determined that the region was “extremely important for white sharks,” which were "tracking [prey] day and night,” according to Fox News. “It’s a game of hide-and-seek,” he said.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
A great white shark lair has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean, providing insight into why the voracious predators have been flocking to a mysterious region that researchers had deemed a barren, empty void.
great white, shark, lair, pacific
335
2018-15-19
Wednesday, 19 September 2018 09:15 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved