Even within my niche of writing about the ocean, I have some 'micro-beats' that I cover quite frequently. One of those is sharks (because who doesn't love writing about sharks?!). Here are some of the articles I've pulled together as a shark writer. Enjoy!
Echidna vomit - BBC Wildlife
How surprised would you be to see a tiger shark vomit up an entire echidna? Yep, these scientists were pretty surprised too. Another weird but fun ocean story I wrote about for BBC Wildlife.
Orcas vs sharks - Live Science
Are we underestimating how often orcas are eating sharks? I took a dive into the evidence so far for Live Science.
Whale shark ultrasound - BBC Wildlife
Ever wondered what it would be like for the world's largest fish to get a health check? Wonder no more... I had the story for BBC Wildlife.
Baby hammerheads - BBC Wildlife
Hundreds of baby hammerheads. Come on, do I really need to say anything else to tempt you to read this story I wrote for BBC Wildlife?
Shark vs swordfish - New Scientist
This shark survived being stabbed through the head by a swordfish! The ocean never ceases to amaze me... really interesting to cover this study for New Scientist.
Ancient sea cow's gruesome end - Live Science
A fossilized sea cow found in Venezuela reveals a dramatic story: it was killed by a prehistoric crocodile and later scavenged by a tiger shark.
Leucistic shark - Live Science
For Live Science, I covered the first record of a leucistic angular roughshark, which was spotted near Sazan Island, Albania.
Sardine run – BBC Wildlife
For BBC Wildlife, I wrote about the incredible feeding frenzy captured during South Africa’s remarkable sardine run—one of nature’s most spectacular shows. So cool. I’d love to see this irl one day.
Sharks in lobster den - BBC Wildlife
Divers in Australia set up a camera in a lobster den and were shocked to see Port Jackson and crested horn sharks appear from the darkness. I covered the new footage for BBC Wildlife.
Cocaine sharks – BBC Wildlife
No, it’s not a crazy movie script. Sharks off the coast of Brazil have been found with cocaine in their systems. I wrote about it for BBC Wildlife.
Basking shark collision - BBC Wildlife
Heartbreaking that this huge basking shark was hit by a ship just after being tagged. I covered the ship strike story for BBC Wildlife.
Shark struck by boat – BBC Countryfile
A tragic event off the coast of Ireland. For BBC Countryfile, I reported on a 23-foot shark struck by a boat near the Dingle Peninsula.
Snoozing sharks - BBC Wildlife
An underwater robot uncovered thousands of female sharks resting on the seafloor in southern Australia, leaving scientists puzzled. I got to cover the story for BBC Wildlife.
Pregnant porbeagle eaten - BBC Wildlife
I wrote about a shocking scientific first—how a pregnant porbeagle shark was eaten by a larger shark, with a lost tracking device revealing the whole sequence of events. For BBC Wildlife.
Pacific sleeper shark – BBC Wildlife
OK, OK, so quite a lot of my stories do start with researchers dropping a camera into the deep sea and finding something amazing (but that’s because there’s so much amazing stuff down there, amirite?!). But here’s another one, for BBC Wildlife, with some epic shots inside a Pacific sleeper shark’s mouth.
Shark rescue – BBC Countryfile
Would you know what to do if you found a shark stranded on your local beach? Thankfully, this quick-thinking scuba diver did. When he found small spotted catsharks washed up in Brighton, he jumped straight into action. I covered the story for BBC Countryfile.
White shark dive - BBC Wildlife
Imagine seeing a huge white shark appear just feet away while you were scuba diving... without a cage! Thanks, as always, to BBC Wildlife Magazine for letting me geek out on this epic story. I can't imagine how amazing it must have been to see this.
Shark eats shark - BBC Wildlife
A jaw-dropping moment captured on film. For BBC Wildlife, I wrote about a massive hammerhead tearing into a reef shark off the Florida coast.
Supersized sharks - Nat Geo
Why does this remote Pacific island attract supersized sharks? Is it the 'hamburger drive thru' or something else? I had the story for Nat Geo.
Shark graveyard - Live Science
The teeth "look like they just came out of the shark's mouth yesterday." Cool discoveries in a 325 million-year-old shark graveyard in Mammoth Cave. I wrote about the story for Live Science.
Breaching sharks - New Scientist
Breaching is a common behavior in many sharks and rays, and it serves multiple purposes, including courtship, birthing, and hygiene. It happens more often than you'd expect, as I found out in this news article for New Scientist.
Shark mortality - Live Science
Writing about the ocean isn't always enjoying learning cool things about fascinating animals. Sometimes (/often) we have to cover the dark / depressing side of the conservation picture. Like this piece I wrote for Live Science about a new study revealing shark mortality from fishing went UP despite anti-finning legislation. But I believe it is important to keep sharing these stories so we can inspire action.
Ancient shark fossils - Live Science
"Exceptionally preserved" fossils of an ancient shark that lived alongside the dinosaurs have finally revealed what the predator looked like — and why it may have gone extinct. Thanks Live Science for sending this story my way.
Prickly sharks - Live Science
Ever heard of prickly sharks? You have now! For Live Science, I covered a study describing these rarely-seen sharks gathering near Panama. Enjoy!
Bull sharks - Live Science
Warming waters = more bull sharks (but don't worry, they're not interested in you!). More in my Live Science article on a new study from Alabama.
Shark vs orca - Live Science
Think sharks are the ocean's apex predator? Maybe think again...? A single orca can take down a great white shark and rip out its liver (mmm... nutritious!). Really interesting one to write about for Live Science.
Bottom feeding whale sharks - New Scientist
It's amazing that 'regular people' can help scientists discover new things about elusive animals in our ocean. A great is example is in this piece I wrote for New Scientist - a tourism guide spotted some unusual behaviour in a whale shark and managed to get it on film. It was the first time we've ever seen whale sharks (which usually nom on plankton in the water column) feeding from the bottom. Wow!
Whale shark ship strikes - Nat Geo
Ship strikes aren't just a problem for whales. Scientists believe whale sharks are also being taken out by ship strikes and I covered the study for Nat Geo.
Sharks on strange shores - Sunday Times
Scientists were amazed when not one but three smalltooth sand tiger sharks washed up on the UK & Irish coastline. For the Sunday Times, I talked to scientists to find out what might have brought this rare species to our shores.
Roughskin dogfish - BBC Wildlife
When scientists dropped a baited camera over a kilometer deep into the Caribbean, they captured an extraordinary moment: the first-ever footage of a roughskin dogfish in this region. I covered the story for BBC Wildlife.
Mega momma dies - Live Science
For Live Science, I wrote about the unfortunate death of a huge pregnant great white shark caught on a drumline and how her body might help scientists uncover the mysteries of great white reproduction.
Shark buddies - Nat Geo
When two juvenile sharks swam together for 4,000 miles, scientists started wondering what could be going on. Might they be... friends? No, say researchers, but in this Nat Geo article they filled me in on why this finding is so exciting.
Hot fish - New Scientist
Changing everything we thought we knew about basking sharks... they might actually be warm blooded! Love that I get to geek out on crazy discoveries like this for New Scientist and call it work.
Basking sharks - National Geographic
Their scientific name might mean something along the lines of “great-nosed sea monster” but basking sharks are harmless to humans and face significant threats from us. I really enjoyed writing about these placid sharks for Nat Geo.
Squid - National Geographic
For many people, there's a reason why squid inspired the legends of terrifying sea creatures that caused ships to vanish without a trace Personally, I think they're kinda cool. So this reference piece was another fun opportunity for me to geek out for Nat Geo.
Thresher sharks - National Geographic
Have you ever seen a thresher shark? No? OK, well imagine you asked a toddler to draw a cartoon of a shy, slightly anxious shark with a REALLY long tail (nope, a bit longer than that) and you're pretty much there. You can probably tell that I loved writing about this fascinating species for this Nat Geo reference piece.
Tiger and mako sharks - National Geographic
For this Nat Geo article, I covered attempts to record tiger sharks' bite force and mako sharks' speed. Plus, the article looks at why it's so important for us to learn more about these incredible predators.
Whale sharks - Fodors
In this article for Fodors, I shared a roundup of destinations around the world where you can see endangered whale sharks.
Mega pregnancy - New Scientist
Megamouth sharks are an incredibly rare deep sea species. So, it was a huge surprise when a female pregnant with seven pups washed up in the Philippines - the first recorded pregnancy in the species. I covered the discovery for New Scientist.
The Meg - Live Science
A new study suggested that the Meg may have been more slender than scientists previously thought and might not look like a mega great white. Could this be true? I looked into it for Live Science.
Baby shark - Live Science
In what's been described as one of the holy grails of shark science, researchers think they've finally seen a newborn great white for the first time. And I got to dive into it for Live Science.
Greenland shark - National Geographic
Finding out the meaning behind an animals' scientific name is one of my favourite parts of writing about the ocean. "Sleepy small head" is no exception, which is just one of the many reasons I enjoyed writing this reference piece about the Greenland shark.
Pregnant whale sharks - Diver
If the headline 'Meet the jet propelled midwives' isn't enough to intrigue you to read my old Diver article from 2019, I don't know what is!
Freediving with sharks - Sidetracked
The cool thing about my work is that I get to chat to cool conservationists doing exciting things like freediving with sharks, which is exactly what I did for this Sidetracked magazine article.
Whale sharks and rays - Daily Beast
In this Daily Beast article, I talked about one of the many reasons I love Mozambique: its epic wildlife.
Where the whale sharks are - Diver
Back in 2018, I wrote this piece exploring where the whale sharks are and how one woman is dedicating her life to protecting them. Fast forward to today and I'm still protecting the Madagascar Whale Shark Project Foundation (and Stella is still smashing it with her conservation work).
Zebra sharks - National Geographic
Zebras are cool. Sharks are cooler. So zebra sharks are doubly cool, right? I'm not going to say these are my favourite type of shark (for once - I mean, they're no thresher shark! ???? ) BUT I did really enjoy writing this Nat Geo reference piece all the same. I hope you find it interesting to read too.
Whale shark tourism - World Footprints
For World Footprints, I wrote about how to travel sustainably and follow the Code of Conduct for responsible interactions when visiting countries to see iconic or endangered species like Madagascar's whale sharks.
Shark freediving - Diver
Let's be honest, sharks can get a pretty bad rap. So it's always cool to hear about people like Lukas, who I wrote about for Diver magazine, who are working to protect these magnificent creatures.
Whale sharks - Ecophiles
For Ecophiles, I pulled together a roundup of fun facts about the world's biggest fish: the whale shark.
Whale sharks - Oceanographic
For Oceanographic, I wrote up an interview with the Madagascar Whale Shark Project Foundation's Stella Diamant about her important conservation work.
Galapagos whale sharks - Oceanographic
Again for Oceanographic, I covered the mysteries of pregnancy in the world's largest fish.
Whale sharks - Ecophiles
If you're ever lucky enough to swim with a whale shark, please make sure it's a responsible encounter by following the whale shark Code of Conduct. I interviewed Madagascar Whale Shark's Stelle Diamant for Ecophiles to get more details on what you should and shouldn't do as a responsible tourist.
Sharks - AFAR
In this piece for AFAR, I spoke to a range of scientists for their tips on the best places around the world where you can see sharks (responsibly).
Helping sharks - Ecophiles
Ever wondered how you can help sharks? I shared a few ways in this article for Ecophiles.
