How well do sharks smell?

Tricia Meredith
Doctoral Candidate
Department of Biological Sciences
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL

FAU PhD student, Tricia Meredith, recently conducted experiments at Keys Marine Lab to determine how well sharks can smell odors. There are many myths about the extreme olfactory sensitivity of these animals with very little scientific evidence to support these claims.















For this research Dr. Stephen Kajiura, Tricia, and a few volunteers long-lined for Bonnethead Sharks (Sphyma tiburo) in shallow seagrass meadows and mangrove habitats near Long Key. The sharks were quickly transported back to KML and kept in flow-through seawater tanks until used in the experiments. One female shark gave birth to 6 pups while in the holding tank over-night. All 6 pups can now be found swimming in KML's Shallows.
















To determine the olfactory sensitivity of Bonnethead Sharks, they used a technique called an electro-olfactogram (EOG). During an EOG, odors are delivered into the nose of an immobilized shark while an electrode positioned over the olfactory organ detects the shark's response to the odor.

So far, Tricia has found that while sharks are very sensitive to odors, they are no more sensitive than bony fishes - disproving many of those shark myths.