Bonnie Boy Blue
Last blog post we mentioned the mullet run which is a migration of one of our common fish along the SC coast that signifies a changing of season. Did you know sharks migrate too? Around the coast in the low country we have about 38 species of sharks, skates, and rays that frequent our waters. One of those is a bonnet head shark, which migrates just like the mullet. In the summer we can see the small Dorito sized fin cruising along the edge of our salt marshes during low tide but when water temperature drops they usually will head towards warmer waters towards the gulf of Mexico and Florida.
Bonnethead shark swimming along the oyster bed.
Bonnetheads sharks are one out of the nine species of hammerhead shark, though much smaller than the great hammerhead. They are around 4-5 feet in length and have a shovel shaped face with a downward facing mouth. With their special shaped face, this gives them more surface area for their Ampullae of Lorenzini—little gel filled sacs that are basically extensions of the shark’s lateral line. The purpose of the sacs and the lateral lines are to help detect electromagnetic fields created by their burrowed prey! (SUPER COOL.) Prey items for bonnetheads are crustaceans like blue crabs and some scientists have now documented sea grass digestion.
Like many shark species, unfortunately, bonnethead sharks’ population is on the decline. The IUCN (International Union For Conservation of Nature) lists bonnetheads as endangered. Over 100 million sharks are killed every year and a lot of those deaths are caused by humans. Fishing gear, shark culls, and shark fin soup are some human threats to sharks. Though humans often see sharks in a scary light, they are extremely important in keeping the balance in our ocean ecosystems. A few easy things to help sharks is minimizing our single use plastic, using makeup that doesn’t contain squalene (shark liver oil) or is vegan, and making donations to organizations like Ocearch that contribute to shark research!
Bonnethead shark caught on a fishing line.