Australian sharks warn of their approach to the coast via Twitter

Biologists equip large sharks that live off the coast of Australia with electronic tags that alert vacationers about the dangers. As soon as a shark with a “beacon” swims closer to the coast closer than a kilometer, the mark is detected by detectors installed on the coast. A message with the coordinates of the shark, as well as information about its breed and size, is published on Twitter. This method of warning is much faster and more accurate than any other - usually the shark is approached if it is accidentally spotted from any vessel or from the shore. At the beginning of this year, 338 sharks were tagged .

In Australia, six people have died from shark attacks over the past two years - the highest rate in the world. But the mass extermination of sharks is unacceptable from an ethical and environmental point of view. Sharks reporting their approach via public tweets are an elegant and humane solution, scientists say. Naturally, this is not a panacea - far from all predators living near the coast of Australia are marked, moreover, sharks migrate in the ocean, sometimes overcoming great distances. Nevertheless, such an early warning system can significantly reduce the number of attacks if people are responsible for their safety.

The battery life of electronic tags is up to 10 years. Information on shark movements, in addition to warning vacationers, is of great scientific value - biologists get the opportunity to observe animals in real time from afar, it is better to study their habits, habitat and migration paths.