Sharks Unknown with Jasmin Graham

The tiny bonnethead shark might be holding a secret or two. Host Jasmin Graham joins her former mentee Kathy Liu to uncover why male and female bonnetheads may be exhibiting sexual dimorphism and whether cryptic speciation is another phenomenon found in this mini shark.

Jasmin joins PhD student and Minorities In Shark Sciences co-founder Jaida Elcock on her mission to find and tag a massive and mysterious shark: the basking shark. It won’t be easy, so an international collaboration with friends in Ireland might hold some answers.

Learn more about how shark noses work and how natural chemicals found in ink produced by their prey could unlock the secret to the ultimate shark repellent.

Jasmin Graham visits shark researcher and data analyst, Apryl Boyle, at El Porto Beach, California to learn about the work she’s done to help surfers become community scientists. Find out what we can learn from Environmental DNA (eDNA), how it’s analyzed, and how it can be used for conservation management practices.

Jasmin Graham teams up with Weathered host, Maiya May, to search for sharks in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Jupiter, Florida. With shark researchers, Deborah Azevedo and Hannah Medd, as their guides, Jasmin and Maiya discuss the impacts of July’s ocean heatwave on sharks and what future events like this one might mean for these cold-blooded creatures.

Shark scientists Jasmin Graham, A-bel Gong, and Andrew Nosal head over to La Jolla to investigate a natural “shark spa.” This unique part of the California coast is a favorite spot for leopard sharks and guitarfish. After studying them from afar, the team is heading out to check on the health of these elasmobranchs and see if they can gain insight into a new, strange behavior.

Jasmin joins PhD student Amani Webber-Schultz on a shark biodiversity survey off the coast of Miami. They are leading a workshop for Diversifying Ocean Sciences, an initiative to provide research experience to women and gender minorities of color. At sea, the students race to capture and release as many sharks as possible in order to provide data for long-term studies of Biscayne Bay’s ecosystem.