Sharks and People Shop the Same Way

February 28, 2008

The next time you visit a supermarket, consider how much you have in common with sharks, tuna, cod, sea turtles and penguins. These marine creatures, and more, all shop for food the same way that you do.

Let's say you're looking for soup. You probably start with the soup aisle. If you don't find what you're looking for there, you go to another place. Unless you really get off on food shopping (which I sort of do) you probably don't wander down each and every aisle looking for soup.

Sharks and marine predators follow the same logic, according to scientists from the Marine Biological Association and the University of Plymouth. They monitored the sea critters through use of electronic tags that charted movements. They determined that the sea predators foraged using a series of small motions interspersed with larger jumps to new locations. This would be like you going from the soup aisle to the store's deli section.

The tiger shark in the below Shark Week '07 clip was obviously craving a bit of turtle (soup). WARNING! This footage is not for turtle fanciers or the feint of heart.