{"id":1839,"date":"2026-09-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/?post_type=briefing&p=1839"},"modified":"2026-09-06T06:14:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T21:14:32","slug":"2026-09-06-bonnethead-shark-head-rounding-en","status":"publish","type":"briefing","link":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-09-06-bonnethead-shark-head-rounding-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonnethead shark heads round with age rather than males growing a point"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-09-06 05:58 KST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bonnethead sharks were thought to develop a sharper male head point at maturity, but a new analysis found that heads of both sexes became rounder as they grew. The change was stronger in females sampled from Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay, Florida.<\/p>\n

The study does not establish a universal growth rule or explain the head\u2019s function. Young sharks were underrepresented, only two regions were sampled, and the researchers found no evidence that diet caused the shape change.<\/p>\n

How were sharks compared?<\/h2>\n

Researchers measured front-edge curvature, length, sex and maturity with a minimally invasive catch-and-release method in two bays. Bonnetheads are small hammerhead relatives averaging roughly 70\u201385 cm in South Florida.<\/p>\n

What changed from the old idea?<\/h2>\n

A 2005 hypothesis treated the male point as a maturity-linked sexual trait. Younger sharks of both sexes were sharper in the new data, with females rounding more as adults.<\/p>\n

\"Bonnethead
This AI-generated image explains the topic; it is not a photograph of the actual event, observation, or experiment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Was diet the cause?<\/h2>\n

Bonnetheads unusually digest seagrass as well as animal prey. Stable-isotope analysis did not link dietary niche to head shape, though limited sampling cannot rule it out.<\/p>\n

Why does shape matter?<\/h2>\n

The cephalofoil may affect sensing, lift, turning and foraging. Age and sex may need to be included in future swimming and population comparisons.<\/p>\n

What comes next?<\/h2>\n

More newborns, populations at other latitudes and embryonic development must be studied, along with direct tests of swimming and sensory performance.<\/p>\n

Primary sources and independent checks<\/h2>\n

OUP \uc6d0 \ub17c\ubb38<\/a><\/p>\n

ScienceDaily\uc758 \ub9c8\uc774\uc560\ubbf8\ub300 \uc5f0\uad6c \ubc1c\ud45c<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud50c\ub85c\ub9ac\ub2e4\ubc15\ubb3c\uad00 \uc885 \uc815\ubcf4<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA \ubcf4\ub2db\ud5e4\ub4dc \uc131\uc7a5 \uc5f0\uad6c \uae30\ub85d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In samples from two Florida bays, both sexes had rounder heads at maturity, especially females. It is unknown whether the pattern holds elsewhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"class_list":["post-1839","briefing","type-briefing","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing\/1839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/briefing"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}