IF ASKED to name a marine predator that hunts in groups, it's likely dolphins would be your first answer. But as this unique shot of lemon sharks by underwater photographer David Doubilet shows, these predators are also capable of coordinated hunting.
Lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) are well studied, and we now know that young sharks learn from their elders (Animal Cognition, doi.org/h9f). Jelle Atema, a shark biologist at Boston University, welcomes a better understanding of social behaviour in sharks, because it can help foster respect for these maligned animals. Things are changing, he says. "In my students I see the kind of interest in shark behaviour that was formerly reserved for marine mammals. Now sharks and dolphins are becoming equally interesting."
This picture was taken in the Bahamas, where sharks are protected to prevent the rapid population decline seen elsewhere around the globe. "The sharks in this photograph are recognised as valuable economic and ecological assets to the Bahamian community," Doubilet says. "This conservation model is a good example for other countries with viable shark populations."
Doubilet's photo is part of the Royal Photographic Society's International Images for Science touring exhibition, starting 31 August at the Great North Museum in Newcastle, UK.
Note, also, the remoras alongside the sharks. These fish stick to the sides of big marine animals, feeding on dropped scraps. The fish desperately trying to escape the bottom of the photo are the intended prey.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Surf's up"
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