Understanding why animals do things is a pretty integral part of researching them, but great white sharks have been doing something that has confused scientists for years.
Animals do all sorts of fascinating and amazing stuff; some things we understand perfectly, other things less so.
When it comes to great white sharks, we understand them fairly well, but one migration pattern seemed to stump scientists and researchers.
For reasons, seemingly unknown, multiple great white sharks would congregate in this specific spot in the Pacific Ocean.
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I say spot, but it is actually quite a massive zone, with a radius of approximately 160 miles and is located about halfway between Baja California and Hawaii.
Interestingly, scientists have taken to calling this area the White Shark Café.
It received this name way back in 2002 after Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station researchers studied the data from multiple sharks they had tagged.
Publishing their findings the January 3, 2002 issue of the journal Nature, they found that three of four tagged sharks traveled to the Café during a six-month period after getting tagging in California.
This was particularly puzzling, as the area was thought to be a lifeless zone, a sort of oceanic desert for sharks.
However, this idea shifted in 2018 as it was discovered this location was actually teeming with life and had a thriving ecosystem.
This discovery helped bolster the idea that sharks would regularly frequent this location to enjoy a diverse platter of food however there are still arguments that sharks also come here as part of a mating ritual.
News of the shark cafe has spread to social media and Reddit users had their own theories and jokes about what draws sharks to the location.
One user wrote: “These sharks are probably attracted to the unusually high frequency hum being emitted by the crashed UFO on the seabed at this location.
“Reddit has taught me over the years that there’s usually a simple, alien related, explanation.
Another user joked: “Orcas: so, umm, I forget, where is this again?”
With another adding: “Annual shark orgy, nothing to worry about.”
And another commented: “So they’re just all out there chilling together and s***? Like are sharks pals when they see each other, or do they fight?”
Well, regardless of why they congregate there, I imagine the shark cafe is probably a great place for a bite.
Topics: Animals, Science, Nature, Food and Drink, Social Media, Reddit
Gerrard Kaonga