Read shark researcher Mark Marks' responses on the following shark topics:

Disappearing sharks
Shark evolution
Shark deterrent?
Nonstop swimmers?
Shark posturing
Swimming with the sharks?
Shark diving
Shark education
Shark enemies
Shark reproduction
Great white disposition
Favorite shark
Shark eyes
Shark companions
Bite pressure
Bladderless sharks
Warmblooded killers
Hammerheads
Thresher sharks
Great whites in captivity
Shark protection

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Q: On Thresher Sharks

Hello, My name's Dawnya and I have been studying sharks since I was 5; I'm 27 now. Why haven't there been many studies on the thresher shark? I have looked and looked, but yet I only find small reports or fishermen's accounts for these sharks. Why haven't there been extensive studies on them like other species?

A: The thresher shark, of which there are three species, have been targeted by commercial and sport fisheries for years, resulting in a collapse of the Pacific west coast fishery for the species. The studies conducted have been from a fishery management standpoint with little in the way of their ecology. The primary reason for the lack of extensive study is more a logistical one; thresher sharks follow large schools of offshore bait fish, such as migratory sardines and anchovy. To study these predators would require not only satellite and acoustic telemetry tracking, but also hundreds and hundreds of human hours and some hard funding — money for pure science is not always so easily obtained. Working in offshore environments can be extremely difficult, with weather often the greatest obstacle. I agree; there is plenty to learn about these awesome sharks!

Did you know that sharks are quite sociable? Listen to an audio interview with Mark Marks.