ST. ANDREWS, Scotland, June 11 (UPI) -- Researchers have gleaned new insights into the mysterious habits of reef sharks, thanks to the employment of "black box" technology -- data-recording devices similar to those used in aviation.
The technology was used to observe a group of blacktip reef sharks living around a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Biologists already knew reef sharks prefer to hunt at night, but they weren't sure why; the black boxes offered answers.
"The use of these technologies allow us to determine why animals in the wild behave the way they do," Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou, a researcher at the St. Andrews Scottish Oceans Institute, explained in a press release. "'Black-box' technology allows us to reveal the secret lives of sharks."
The tracking devices -- which measured the sharks' activity, swim speed, depth, body temperature and digestion -- showed the creatures tended to hunt in the early evening. The sharks preferred to hunt just when their body temperatures began to cool (but were still warm), and as their metabolism began to slow. They also hunted most when tides were on the way out.
Researchers believe the early evening may give them an eyesight advantage over their prey. Hunting just after their metabolism and body temperature have crested may also give them the upper hand over prey that more quickly transition to a sedentary state as day turns to night.
Papastamatiou and his colleagues shared their findings in the journal PLOS ONE.
