Do sharks glow in the dark? Part 2

Show notes

This week we dive back into our conversation about shark adaptations with jawsome shark scientists and communicators Amani Webber-Schultz, Meghan Holst and Jaida Elcock! If you missed part 1, go give it a listen – we cover the largest, smallest and fastest sharks in the world, as well as talk about Amani, Meghan and Jaida’s fascinating research.

We begin part 2 at where we left off – sharks that glow in the dark [02.16]! Jaida tells us about the difference between bioluminescence and biofluorescence [02.55], and we discuss why a shark might need to emit its own light. There are a surprising number of sharks that can do this, including one that grows up to five feet [04.33]! Our chat about glow in the dark elasmobranchs then takes us on a journey into the deep sea, which is where a lot of these species live. We talk about how hostile and difficult a habitat the deep sea is [12.32], which results in a lot of species that live there developing weird and wonderful adaptations to survive and thrive. We take a break from sharks and rays to give special mention to the delightfully strange barrel-eye fish and its transparent head [15.06] before moving on to the nightmare fuel that is the goblin shark [16.25] and another VERY long-lived deep-sea shark species that loves life in the slow lane [18.34]. This species is, in fact, the longest living vertebrate species on the planet. Meghan tells us just how long they live, and we learn the surprising things this animal feeds on…

We draw our conversation on cool shark adaptations to a close by discussing poisonous and venomous sharks (yes, they do exist!). Morphology expert Amani tells us which species to avoid eating and the fascinating reason why [22.58]. I then give our guests the opportunity to shout out any other species of shark and ray with jawsome adaptations – and, as you’d expect from three elasmobranch enthusiasts, there are many [26.12]. Jaida mentions the shark that “hunts with its butt”, Amani a shark that eats its greens, and Meghan tells us more about her study species, the broad nose sevengill!

After all that shark nerding, we spend the second half of this episode learn more about our amazing guests and their careers [31.08]. They talk about their very different and diverse journeys into marine science, emphasising that it’s more than okay to have a ‘wonky’ career path and not know exactly where you want to end up. They give some really great advice about believing in yourself, and following your own path rather than the one others expect you to take. Hopefully, some of you at home will draw comfort from what they have to say (also, if you ever need a team of hype-women… [35.23] ).

We also learn about Amani, Jaida and Meghan’s ventures outside of academia, including Meghan and Amani’s podcast, the Sharkpedia podcast [45.20] and Jaida’s hilarious yet informative ‘animal facts’ TikToks [47.36]. Finally, I ask our guests about the organisations they have co-founded, Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS) and Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences (MIAZS) [52.14]. Amani and Jaida along with Jasmin Graham and Carlee Jackson founded MISS in 2020, to build a community for women of colour within shark sciences. What started as an idea on Twitter during the pandemic has grown into a global organisation dedicated to providing resources and training opportunities for women of colour. Based on the MISS model, Meghan recently set up MIAZS with co-founder Jennie Janssen to encourage more people of colour into zoo and aquarium fields, and support existing minorities that work in these fields. We discuss the work they do and how these organisations have grown. Further, we talk about the importance of tackling systemic issues within science – and more broadly – around diversity, equality, inclusion and representation.

You can find out more about becoming a member, a friend or a sponsor here:www.misselasmo.org and www.miazs.org.

About our guests

Amani-Webber Schultz

Amani is a PhD student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she will be studying shark morphology. She is a co-founder and the Chief Financial Officer of Minorities in Shark Sciences. Amani co-hosts a podcast called Sharkpedia and is very passionate about science communication.

Aside from her studies, Amani co-hosts the Sharkpedia podcast with Meghan, a podcast that aims to break down science with legendary researchers in the field of shark science! She is also one of the co-founders of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organisation dedicated to promoting diversity and equality in shark science by breaking down barriers, improving accessibility and encouraging women of colour to join the field. They believe that “diversity in scientists creates diversity in thought, which leads to innovation.”

Find Amani on social media: Instagram: @curly_biologist; Twitter: @Curly_Biologist; Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS): @MISS_Elasmo (Twitter), @miss_elasmo (Instagram)

Jaida Elcock

Jaida Elcock is a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. Her research is on shark movement ecology. She is particularly interested in the movement ecology of migratory elasmobranchs, as this information is still unknown for many species. Jaida received her B.S. in Biology with University Honors from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has previously lived in landlocked states but has still been able to gain experience with marine animals through an internship at OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has also been recognized as an American Elasmobranch Society Young Professional Recruitment Fund Scholar.

Jaida is an enthusiastic science communicator, and you might also know her from her incredible ‘animal facts’ videos on TikTok (she also shares them on Instagram and Twitter).

Along with Amani, Jaida is also a co-founder of MISS and is incredibly passionate about opening doors for under-represented students wanting to break into the marine sciences.

Find Jaida on social media: Instagram: @sofishtication_; Twitter: @soFISHtication; Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS): @MISS_Elasmo (Twitter), @miss_elasmo (Instagram)

Meghan Holst (@megholst)

Meghan is a working marine scientist, a Ph.D. student, the co-host of the Sharkpedia podcast, and co-founder of Minorities In Aquarium and Zoo Science (MIAZS). Meghan’s dissertation work focuses on the conservation ecology of the broadnose sevengill shark in San Francisco Bay. Meghan’s previous research has also included the behaviour and physiology of the giant Pacific octopus. As a co-host of Sharkpedia, Meghan and Amani break down recent research articles of sharks and their relatives with the primary author and share stories from field research! In addition, Meghan’s work with MIAZS is aimed at advancing aquarium and zoo science by increasing and retaining minority professionals by mitigating financial and social barriers. Meghan intends to continue conducting science, communicating science in a fun and interactive way, and actively working to make the science fields more diverse and inclusive.

Find Meghan on social media: Instagram: @megholst; Twitter: @MegHolst; Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Sciences (MIAZS): @MIAZS_Now; Sharkpedia podcast: @sharkpediapod, listen wherever you get your podcasts