Sharks have been typecast as the abruptly - chasten tough of the ocean , although the truth is that not all of them live up to this hardened reputation . agree to newfangled research , sharks actually have distinctive personalities , and contrary to their status as fearless , cold - blooded killer , some are actually considerably shyer and more prostrate to becoming emphasize out than others .
The estimation of a flustered shark might sound improbable , although fit in to analyze co - authorEvan Byrnes , “ sharks are not just forgetful machines . Just like humans , each shark is an individual with its unique predilection and behaviors . ”
Byrnes and his colleagues came to this conclusion after comport a series of experiment , using 17 juvenile Port Jackson sharks , designed to gain an insight into the animals ’ disposition . The first of these ask pose the shark in a sheltered “ refuge boxwood ” inside a armored combat vehicle , and timing how long it look at them to pluck up the courageousness to pretend out of their box and explore the exposed areas of their new environs .
The determination of this exercise was to measure the sharks ’ hardiness and willingness to take jeopardy . Interestingly , the researchers discovered that larger sharks run to be bolder than small sharks , consider less time to result the safety of their box . This would seem to contradict certain pre - existingtheorieswhich hold that , among top predator , small person tend to be bold and more belligerent , as they loosely have to be more competitive so as to survive .
One of the Port Jackson sharks used in the experimentation . Evan Byrne
Next , the survey authors conducted a stress test , in which sharks were removed from their enclosures and physically held by the hands of the researchers for one minute , before being returned to their tank . By measuring how long it took each shark to recover from this nerve-wracking installment and return to their normal level of activity .
solution – which appear in theJournal of Fish Biology – showed that the shark that were the least bold in the first test also turned out to be the biggest tension - head in this second experiment , taking notably longer to shake off the experience . Importantly , the deportment of each individual shark was systematically replicated when the tests were repeated , indicating that their behaviour was the result of impress personality trait rather than just a one - off .
According to Byrnes , this finding could have major implications for shark preservation crusade . “ Understanding how personality shape variation in shark behavior – such as prey option , habitat use , and activity levels – is decisive to substantially managing these top predators that play important ecological function in marine ecosystem , ” he say in thestatement .
