These Are The Sharks That Researchers Prefer To Great Whites

Great whites may get the bulk of attention in the media, but there are so many other incredible species swimming the seas. This year, the Discovery Channel's Shark Week did an incredible job of highlighting sharks that normally don't get screen time, from the fast-swimming mako to the deep-diving megamouth. It was exciting, even for a lifelong ocean lover such as myself, and got me thinking: What are shark researchers' favorite species? With over 400 species to choose from, sometimes the decision wasn't an easy one.

Oceanic whitetip shark - Carcharhinus longimanus

“My favorite is probably the oceanic whitetip because they are fearless, inquisitive and have gorgeous markings. They also live in an extreme environment, the open ocean, and somehow manage to scratch out a living there.” -- Demian Chapman, Associate Professor at Stony Brook University and Assistant Director of Science at the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science

Whale shark - Rhincodon typus

“Well you know it’s whale sharks! Because they are the biggest of all but not a toothy predator, rather a peaceful plankton eater with pajama polka-dots.” --Alistair Dove, Director of Research and Conservation at the Georgia Aquarium

Largetooth sawfish - Pristis pristis

“My favorite shark has to be the largetooth or freshwater sawfish, Pristis pristis ... largest egg in the animal kingdom, born with a sheath over its saw to avoid harming the mother, goes 1000 km into amazon river, rears for 5 years in freshwater, one of the largest fishes in the world (7m long), largest ray in the world, 3rd largest elasmobranch, most valuable fins, uses its snout to detect and kill fish in midwater in murky estuaries, it's an intermediary to the spirit world in Panama, and indeed it is pretty much the most iconic animal to coastal indigenous peoples worldwide, it's on the West African Franc notes and coins.... I could go on, but this is one amazing fish.” --Nick Dulvy, Professor at Simon Fraser University and Co-chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group

“My favorite species group is the lovely and little-known flat sharks, the sawfishes.  To me, they are the pinnacle of evolutionary weirdness among all species on Earth.  You wouldn't think a ray with a very long flat 'nose' full of sharp 'teeth' could ever be an efficient predator in complex mudflat and seagrass ecosystems, yet this is their natural home.  Unfortunately, very little is actually know about sawfishes, in part because there are so few left.

Their pointy 'saw' is a blessing and a curse for the species as it is crucial for their hunting technique but also leaves them vulnerable to entanglement in nets and lines.  Sawfishes across the globe have even completely vanished from many coastlines they used to dominate.  I hope that more people become as fascinated with sawfish as I am and help protect these unique animals before it is too late.” -- Michelle Jewell, Doctoral candidate at the University of Groningen

Sandbar shark - Carcharhinus plumbeus

“My favorite shark is the sandbar shark, because it's obviously the best shark. Sandbars are a typical shark-y shark, nothing special like a thresher's long tail or a hammerhead's unique head shape. For my Masters research, I worked with sandbar pups, and now for my Ph.D. I'm working with the adults. It's like I'm following the sandbar shark life cycle as I move through my own professional life cycle.” -David Shiffman, Graduate student at the University of Miami

Tiger shark - Galeocerdo cuvier

“Definitely has to be tiger shark. Their striped pattern is stunning, their teeth fascinate me and love their snout.” -- Melissa C. Márquez, Masters student at Victoria University of Wellington

“I really do like tigers – big animals that appear to be critical to ecosystem health in at least some places and so calm when you see them or work with them.” --Mike Heithaus, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Florida International University

Lantern shark - Etmopterus spp.

“My favorite guys are not ones that most people will talk about, but they're a group that I study and most people have never seen--they're called lantern sharks. Lantern sharks are small species of which there are many species, but they don't get much bigger than about 18 inches and some are as small as 5 inches or so and never get any bigger than that. So these are little squirts of sharks, little mini sharks, that live in the deep sea and they're basically black in color, because where they live there's no lights and so no need really for color in the sense of background color but they do emit their own light. They're bioluminescent. So they can flash underwater, and they're quite colorful. The flash that they make is sort of a neon green sort of color, or sometimes violet sort of color, that they flash over that black background and it looks pretty neat.” -- George H. Burgess, Director of the International Shark Attack File

Great hammerhead shark - Sphyrna mokarran

“My favorite shark (of the moment) is the great hammerhead, Sphyrna mokarran.  I love its disproportionately large first dorsal fin.  I love that it looks like a dinosaur.  I love that it can turn on a dime with its cephalofoil.  When I see a hammerhead, it still makes me squeal like it’s the first time I’ve seen a shark.” -- Kristine Stump, Postdoctoral researcher at the Shedd Aquarium.

“Great hammerheads. I am fascinated by how specialized yet sensitive they are. They are one of the most advanced sharks out there--in every way--from their obvious head shape, to the way their brain is wired, to how their body performs when swimming. When you start to look at what's underneath the hood of these animals, you see how incredible they really are. They were a big player in my PhD, which looked at how sensitive species of sharks are to fisheries interactions: the process of capture and release.

By taking an eco-physiological approach, I was able to learn new things about the trajectory of conservation of this species and applied principles in evolution to their current status. Swimming with them underwater has also been mind-blowing. You see that animal swimming around underwater, not paying attention to you at all, and you all of a sudden feel pretty small and humbled. These fish have been doing their thing for a long time and they deserve every ounce of our respect.” -- Austin Gallagher, Postdoctoral researcher at Carleton University, founder and President of Beneath the Waves, Inc.

Bull shark - Carcharhinus leucas

“I would probably say the bull shark, although the choice is difficult because there are so many fascinating species. The reason for choosing the bull shark is the versatility of this species and their use of multiple habitats. For example, juveniles grow up in rivers and estuaries while larger, older animals are further offshore. We have recently learned that adult bull sharks spend large amounts of time on the Great Barrier Reef, an unexpected finding. So this means this species uses and links, rivers, estuaries, coastal habitats and coral reefs. Pretty impressive.” -- Michelle Heupel, ARC Future Fellow, Australian Institute of Marine Science/James Cook University

Pocket shark - Mollisquama parini

“I have recently become enamoured with the pocket shark (Mollisquama parini) because it has bioluminescent pockets!” -- Nick Dulvy, Professor at Simon Fraser University and Co-chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group