Research describing the elasmobranchs recovery ispublishedin the Journal of Marine Sciences.
Though they generally inhabit the open ocean, the sharks are also found in shallow waters near the coasts.
That causes them to come into contact with humans.
The wounded fin, photographed in July 2022.Photo:Josh Schellenberg
The recently studied silky shark individual was spotted in July 2022, off the coast of Florida.
It had a large slice taken out of its dorsal fin, the prominent fin on a sharks back.
The missing tissue was where scientists had installed a satellite tag tracker a month earlier.
The healed fin, seen in May 2023.Photo:Josh Schellenberg
There was no longer an open wound in the fin.
Black concluded that the shark was caught but then returned injured to the ocean.
The injury had healed to 87% of the fins original size, according to the paper.
A silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis).Photo:Wikimedia Commons
Had the fin been fully amputated, the paper noted, it probably would not have regrown.
So, kindly, dont catch them and slice off the tips of their fins.
They may not all be as lucky as this silky shark.
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