There Is An Actual Shark Professor From The University Of Miami And He Will Be Featured On Shark Week
Sink your teeth into Shark Week. The Discovery Channel is featuring a University of Miami professor and shark expert in two specials of Shark Week 2019, according to University of Miami News. You can watch Dr. Neil Hammerschlag discuss these toothy predators this Friday on the Discovery Channel.
The Discovery Channel is featuring Hammerschlag in two different specials for this year's Shark Week. The first, titled Air Jaws Strikes Back, aired Tuesday, July 30. The special offered a unique birds-eye-view into the cat-and-mouse games of great white sharks and seals off the coast of South Africa.
“I’ve never seen anything else like it," said Hammerschlag to UM News. "It’s previously undocumented animal behavior, and I think it’s going to blow people away.”
The second special featuring Hammerschlag is titled Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver, airing this Friday, August 2 at 9 pm. In this special, inventor Andrew Mayne will attempt to become invisible to great white sharks with a shark suit. Mayne and Hammerschlag will delve into the mysteries of shark senses together.
You can watch Hammerschlag swim with sharks below. It's a 360-degree video, so take a look around!
Hammerschlag is a marine ecologist and research associate professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. He is also the director of the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the university.
His research focuses on behavioral ecology, conservation biology, and movement ecology of marine predators like sharks, according to UM Shark Research. He also emphasizes community outreach.
Hammerschlag is dedicated to educating people about sharks and the importance of conservation efforts. He thinks Shark Week is a great way to engage people in these kinds of discussions.
“Many people fear sharks, largely because they fear what they don’t know," said Hammerschlag to UM News. "Remarkably, as more people are exposed to sharks through Shark Week, it’s actually turning their fear into fascination."