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IRVINE, Calif. (AP) – By destroying the reputation of sharks as bloodthirsty predators, California researchers have said they have found a shark that has one side of the seagrass with its prey.
Scientists at the University of California announced Wednesday that Bonnethead sharks are not only eating grass while eating fish and squid.
It turns out that headboards have high levels of enzymes that break down fiber and carbohydrates, compared to low amounts of carnivores. This makes bonnethead the first known omnivorous shark, according to the researchers.
A lab video published online shows a small chef devouring a meal of 90% seagrass and 10% squid.
It was previously thought that thatched heads involuntarily consumed grass in the shallow areas where the species lives along some coasts of the United States, Central America and North America. South.
The smaller of the ten species of hammerheads, bat heads are typically about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) long.
Samantha Leigh, who led the four-year study at the UCI School of Biological Sciences, said she hoped the discovery would help protect seagrass ecosystems exposed to climate change.
"The fact that a very abundant shark species feeds on grasses is another indication of the need to preserve this vegetation," she said.
Sandy Trautwein, from the Pacific Aquarium in Long Beach, described the results as "unique, but not surprising, given the niche of bonnetheads in tropical ecosystems".
She said she hoped the study "opens the door for further research" on herbarium communities and sharks in general.
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