This was just one of the facts 122 youngsters and their parents discovered at the International Science Festival's Find Your Inner Fish shark brain dissection at the University of Otago zoology department in Dunedin this week.
Aided by high-definition computer graphics of a circling shark, Prof Mike Paulin explained how shark nervous systems used things like underwater motion sensors and powerful noses to develop sharks into expert predators.
Sharks used the same parts of their brains to judge movement as other animals did and timed their attacks the way people timed catching cricket or rugby balls, Prof Paulin said.
They could sense the energy fields of other animals and attacks on underwater electricity cables mistaken by sharks for fish were a significant problem before fibre optics.
When it came time for the brain dissection of a spiny dogfish shark, cries of: "Yuck", "Disgusting" and "Look at the blood gushing out" rang across the room, but the youngsters were enthralled.
"I enjoyed the dissection the most. It's kind of cool," said Jareth Elliotts-Dodds (9), of Dunedin.
"I wish I was dissecting it. Last year, we dissected kidneys ourselves," said Vyvien Evans (10).
The children were keen supporters of the science festival and planned to go to several other fish-related events, including Do Fish Sleep at the aquarium today and tomorrow and Here Be Monsters - Dark Journeys to the Ocean Underworld, by underwater explorer Peter Batson at the Southern Cross Hotel yesterday. - Keira Stephenson
Advertisement
