Basking Shark Physiology with Dr. Haley Dolton - Sharkpedia | Lyssna här

This week we talk with Dr. Haley Dolton about how she studied the physiology of basking sharks in Ireland! This is no small feat.

We read Dr. Dolton's article, "Regional endothermic traits in planktivorous basking sharks Cetohinus maximus"

Article Summary: The majority of sharks are classified as cold-blooded or ectotherms. Sharks are constantly battling heat loss to the surrounding water. To combat this, some fast-swimming apex species are classified as regional endotherms, having uncommon physiological traits such as elevated internal body temperatures, centralized red muscle, and thick-walled hearts. Within the order Lamniformes, housing the only regionally endothermic sharks, you can find the basking shark which is a large, filter-feeding planktivorous species. Previous research has led to the conclusion that basking sharks are ectothermic. To investigate this, Dolton et al. collected muscle samples and measured the internal temperature of basking sharks finding that they displayed the traits previously stated. Their research leads to the finding that basking sharks may not be correctly classified as an ectotherm, which is a surprising find!