Tuesday

Jan 8, 2019 at 6:01 PM Jan 8, 2019 at 6:01 PM


The Buttonwood Park Zoo’s Wildlife Education Series kicks off with a fascinating and relevant talk on sharks.

New Insights Into Biology of the White Shark will take place on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.

Dr. Greg Skomal, PhD Senior Fisheries Biologist, will be exploring the number of white sharks rising in recent years off the coast of Cape Cod in response to dramatic increases in seal abundance. Much of these sightings are in close proximity to popular swimming and surfing beaches increasing public debate on solutions.

To better understand the movement ecology, behavior, natural history, and population dynamics of this species in the Atlantic, the Massachusetts Shark Research Program has tagged more than 150 white sharks off the east coast of the U.S. since 2009. Skomal’s presentation will focus on their findings to date.

Data from Skomal’s research has been added to the Science On a Sphere at the Zoo allowing for visual interpretation of the data.

Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, photographer, and author. As a senior scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, he has been studying sharks for over 30 years. He has written numerous scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and PBS.

Tickets are: $8 for zoo members; $10 non-members and free for students; available at www.bpzoo.org.

The Wildlife Education Series, in its third season, offers dynamic talks on all things wild. Up next are discussions on animal and environmental topics currently in the news.

 

Winter 2019 Wildlife Education Series schedule:

Thursday, Feb. 7

Numi Mitchell, Ph.D., Lead Scientist and Project Director, The Conservation Agency

Narragansett Bay Coyote Study

Thursday, March 7

Heather Haas, Research Fisheries Biologist, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Data-logging loggerheads: A story about sea turtles in the Greater Atlantic Region