No, Sharkcano is not the cult-hit series about a shark tornado off the coast of New Jersey. It is, in fact, a real-live undersea volcano, that is home to—you guessed it—thousands and thousands of sharks. But not your typical sharks. These sharks shouldn’t even be alive.
Spin your globe to the Solomon Islands, halfway between Hawaiʻi and Australia, in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Near the island of Vangunu sits Kavachi. A volcano named after the local God of the Sea.
Kavachi Volcano | Image credit: Alex DeCiccio/Wikipedia
When Kavachi erupts, plumes of steam and ash burst out of the water. Lava and sulfur flow into the ocean. The volcano’s plumes are hot and caustic (aka they can cause burns), rising to temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (100°F). (The average surface temperature of the ocean is 65°F.) The combination of very hot seawater, a reduction of oxygen, and a more acidic environment (from the sulfur) are deadly for most marine life. But on May 14, 2022, NASA captured photos of an eruption with baited drop cameras, and spotted hammerheads and silky sharks!
Unexpected sealife at the bottom of Kavachi Volcano
How is that even possible?
Scientists aren’t quite sure. Marine ecologist Michael Heithaus of Florida International University studies predators who live in volcanoes (cool job alert!). Heithaus has a theory that the Sharkcano sharks use a cluster of pores on their snout, called Ampullae of Lorenzini, to detect changes in the earth’s magnetic field that precede a volcanic eruption. He thinks the Sharkcano sharks sense the volcano's imminent eruption and leave until the action is over.
Amazingly, the Sharkcano has a thriving ecosystem. Jelly-like zooplankton and reef fish live alongside the sharks. Scientists think that turbulent waters may give sharks an invisibility cloak, which helps them catch unsuspecting prey.
Hammerhead shark | Image Credit: Barry Peters/Wikipedia
But this still doesn’t answer the question: how do these creatures adapt to rapid environmental changes? Some scientists think that if we can figure out how these mighty marine animals have adjusted to the harsh conditions in their volcano under the sea, we might begin to learn how humans can adapt to global warming…
Who knew Jaws might teach us a thing or two about survival on earth?!
