The Farthest trip of Carol

A mako shark in New Zealand waters has record the farthest trip. This shark are equipped GPS (global positioning system) tracker that have traveled as far as 13,300 kilometers for six months. This distance is quite a surprise to scientists.

"The shark swam off the waters of New Zealand to Fiji, then back to New Zealand. Approximately six weeks later, she went back to Fiji," said the head of the research project, Malcolm Francis, as quoted by New Zealand Herald.

The mako shark, with GPS tag attached. (Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

According to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, the agency that funded this research project, the shark named Carol was a short fin mako shark. This is the fastest shark species. Francis said, for the first time the movement of short-fin mako shark tracked carefully from time to time. However, scientists do not expect Carol movement distance with erratic pattern.

They figured Carol would stay in the warm waters of Fiji and returned to New Zealand as summer arrives or when the Kiwi water heats. But Carol actually spent very little time in Fiji before returning to New Zealand. "Maybe there are not enough suitable food in the area at the time," said Francis, speculated.

Carol noted have traveled an average of 60 kilometers per day for six months. Sometimes the distance traveled exceeds 100 kilometers in just one day. According to Francis, the short fin mako shark species can drive with the speed up to 100 kilometers per hour in seconds.

Carol is a shark with 1.8 meters length. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes, short fin mako shark can grow up to 4 meters long. The international wildlife protection agencies include short fin mako shark endangered category. The number of animals continued to decline in many areas of the world. Mako shark fishermen often caught unintentionally. "But the shark is also hunted deliberately. Their fins used as shark fin soup," said IUCN spokesman. *** [LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4109]
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