Urban Living Affects the Nutrition of Sharks

Abstract

It is common to see some wild animals in the city, like squirrels and raccoons, but have you ever thought about sharks in the city? While you will not see a shark hanging out on the streets of downtown, you may see one swimming along the shorelines of major seaside cities! Although living in coastal cities can bring many benefits to sharks, such as abundant food and protection from large predators, sharks can be negatively affected by pollution and fishing. We studied blacktip sharks living near the city of Miami, Florida, to see if urban living affected their diets and their health. We found that blacktip sharks living close the city (nicknamed urban sharks) were fatter than non-urban sharks. Urban sharks also showed signs of eating more saturated fats, which are unhealthy when in excess in an animal’s body. This shows us that urban sharks are likely eating more food of lower quality, which can have negative consequences for their health.