Sharks are impressive animals and one of the few to have survived prehistoric times. Exactly, these fearsome animals also coexisted with dinosaurs and managed to withstand the impact of the large meteor that wiped out the large reptiles.
However, a recent event still shows that we know very little about marine animals. The researchers were shocked to see that a sharkSilk (Carcharhinus falciformis) managed to regenerate part of its fin after being injured by humans in the US state of Florida.
Essentially, the poor animal had the tracking tag that marine biologists normally attach to its fin suddenly ripped off, resulting in a very painful injury.
Then a local diver named John Moor called researchers after noticing the injury and the missing device.
Shark fin regenerates
The stages of fin recovery Image: Josh Schellenberg/John Moore/Reproduction
After receiving the call, all the scientists involved in the shark migration study project were amazed at what had happened. After all, nothing like this had ever happened before and the cruelty of the act was simply disgusting.
“I told him it was impossible to miss the satellite mark on the dorsal fin so he would know if it was one of our sharks,” said research author and University of Miami graduate student Chelsea Black.
When the first photos of the wound arrived, scientists were able to determine that there was a hole where the tracking equipment used to be.
In fact, Black did not expect to encounter the shark again as the wound was large and would make it difficult for the fish to move.
But to the team's surprise, it returned to the same waters where it had been photographed and cataloged almost a year earlier. The damaged fin was fully restored, although slightly duller than its original shape.
“My initial reaction was relief that the shark was still alive, as it was a traumatic injury that could affect its ability to swim or cause a serious infection,” Chelsea said.
The whole incident caused quite a stir as this is only the second case in which regeneration of this kind has been detected in a species Hai.
Unfortunately, these animals are at risk of extinction due to overfishing and climate change.
Speculation is that the animal was probably caught by fishermen who cut off its tag to sell it or simply wanted to interfere with studies aimed at protecting these mysterious life forms.
Now scientists will continue to try to understand how recovery occurs, as it is proven to be a rarely observed event.
Black believes the replaced limb is mostly scar tissue, but that is not the case theory go into more detail on the topic.