The first shark in history to know ... vegetarian but still healthy

Sharks, which are known to be predators, are, of course, eating meat. At least that's what science and humanity knows about them.

So, the ocean has too many surprises. Science has recently confirmed that one of the most classic predatory sharks in the world is actually omnivorous. Meaning, they can both eat meat and eat completely and still live well and live well.

Our main character is hinged shark shark - Bonnethead shark , with the scientific name Sphyrna tiburo . This is a small shark belonging to the hammerhead shark family, usually living in the waters of the United States.

This is a small shark belonging to the hammerhead shark family.

About a decade ago, science has reported that this shark seems to eat a lot of seaweed, because gastric examination shows that at least 62% of the ingredients are plants. However, most of the time science believes that they are swallowed up, because the prey of these sharks is mainly crabs, squid and some other small invertebrates or hide in algae.

Until early 2018, there was a study that hypothesized that this fish could actually be vegetarian, but it was not possible to conclude too many things. And so far, we've got the answer.

"In the past, many people believed that moss-fed fish were misleading, because their bodies were not designed to tolerate nutrients from plants," said Samantha Leigh, an evolutionary biologist from the University of California. , Irvine.

When examining the shark's stomach, at least 62% of the ingredients are plants.

Hammerhead sharks are always adept predators, but their relatives can eat vegetables to survive.

"I want to find out how much seaweed can be eaten by sharks, because not having to eat anything can digest the nutrients inside, especially with animals."

To know if hinged shark is really omnivorous, experts have planted a seaweed from the Florida Gulf in the lab. Of course this is not ordinary, but a slightly modified version to bring some special and unmistakable instructions.

Next, they experimented on 5 sharks. They are converted to a 90% diet of seaweed, 10% of which is small. After 3 weeks, all of these sharks are . gaining weight.

This is still not convincing evidence, so the researchers tested how much algae they consumed, and the composition of their droppings.

After a lot of tests, they found traces of chemicals indicating the blood and liver of sharks. This means that fish actually absorb nutrients in seaweed. This result surprised everyone, even the author.

"The shark's stomach has many enzymes, allowing them to digest food," Leigh said.

"Each enzyme will be responsible for digesting different amounts of food. In it, the intestine of this animal contains an enzyme called β-glucosidase of high content, with extremely high resolution of cellulose in plants. effective".

but still survived.

This can be said to be the last study, contributing to the confirmation that sharks can also be vegetarian.

"Sharks can completely switch to a vegetarian diet and survive, showing that they are omnivores."

"This is the only shark ever confirmed to be capable of that."

According to Leigh, she concluded that the role of mouth shark hinges on aquatic life needs to be reevaluated, because they are not simply a predator like what science is mistaken for.

Moreover, confirming sharks as omnivores also contribute significantly to their conservation. Simply because seaweed is one of the most popular plants in the ocean today.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.