Sharks!

After celebrating the new year, I met up with shark researcher Dr. Bryan Franks at Jacksonville University. Dr. Franks does research on different sharks, including lemon sharks. He studies their habitat, diet, breeding grounds, and behavior. Did you know that there is a lemon shark breeding ground off the coast of Little Saint Simons Island? Here are some cool facts about lemon sharks:

• Lemon sharks get their name from their yellow-brown coloring of their skin.
• Lemon sharks’ scientific name is Negaprion brevirostris.
• They live in shallow, tropical and subtropical waters in the Atlantic and Pacific.
• They are not aggressive towards humans.

However, this is no ordinary university. This university also partners with OCEARCH! OCEARCH is a really cool research group for marine life. They do research to help protect these animals for generations to see. They do expeditions where they go on a research vessel and try to catch sharks. Big sharks, like the Great White Shark! They catch them and get data from them, then release them back to the ocean. In February and March, OCEARCH is doing a Southeast expedition that will include the Georgia coast. Dr. Franks is the chief scientist of this expedition! To learn more about OCEARCH, visit their website.

As you know, this year we are raising money for sea turtles and sharks. All of the proceeds for sharks will be used to assist Dr. Franks’ lemon shark research in Georgia. If you would like to contribute, check out my fundraiser page! By learning more about these sharks, we can better protect them for the future.