Annual age bands in an Ururoa white shark vertebra.
How old are white sharks (e hia ngā tau o ngā Ururoa)?
Caoimhghin Ó Maolagáin was tasked with this question by NIWA shark scientist Dr Brit Finucci. Caoimhghin scanned a shark vertebra with a microCT machine, which is like the CT or MRI machines that doctors use to diagnose human illness. Using advanced computers he generated this digital image, which shows annual banding patterns or rings within the vertebra, much the same as tree-ring ageing.
“For endangered species that exist in complex and threatened ecosystems, knowing how fast they grow, and the time taken to reach sexual maturity are critical factors that underly their conservation,” said Caoimhghin.