Sharks Discovered Living in a Volcano

Lynn Barlow | | Post Tag for BrainsBrains
sharks living in volcano
Hammerhead sharks, along with silk sharks, were found living in a volcano. PC David Clode via Unsplash

Scientists captured video evidence of sharks living in a volcano. The scientists dropped a camera into the main crater of the volcano Kavachi, located in the Solomon Islands. Kavachi was not actively erupting when the team captured the footage, but to be safe, they only left the camera in the underwater crater for an hour.

The water inside the crater is hot, acidic, and clouded with sediment, making the inside of a volcano an unlikely place for marine life. Scientists worldwide were shocked when the footage inside Kavachi captured two different species of sharks. Silky sharks and Hammerhead sharks were both recorded swimming in the crater. The video also recorded jellyfish, snappers, and a stingray living in the crater.

hammerhead shark spotted in volcano
Hammerhead shark swimming in a volcanic crater. PC National Geographic



Shark scientists plan to tag one of these sharks living in a volcano in the future to learn more about their habits. No one knows what happens to the sharks when the volcano is actively erupting. It could be the case that they sense an imminent eruption and temporarily leave. Or, perhaps the sharks blow up when the volcano does.ย 

The team returned to Kavachi during an active eruption to gather more data about the volcano. They made cheap robots out of used PVC pipe and a few hundred dollars of electronic equipment and then dropped them over the volcano. While they didnโ€™t see any sharks in Kavachi during the eruption, they collected more data.ย 

They found that near the undersea vent, surface water temperatures were 10โ„ƒ (50ยบF) higher than normal. The scientists also found that the pH of the surface water was significantly lower than normal, meaning that the ocean water near the vent is very acidic. The team also discovered a unique means of collecting rock samples when an eruption forced pieces of volcanic material into their robot.

Kavachi volcano erupts. PC Richard White/EYOS

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36 thoughts on “Sharks Discovered Living in a Volcano

  1. its not way to hot to live there. obviously they are using reverse psychology on you so youยดฤบl think its to hot but actually its cold compared to the shark.

  2. it is real, it was on 9 news and if it was fake why would it be on the news + ITS UNDER WATER dummies

  3. you know 10C hotter is only 18F hotter right… 10C is equal to 50F but a change of 10C is only a change of 18F. that’s how the equation works.

      1. yeah this isn’t photoshop tho. it seems they evolved to sense the magnetic waves that come from the volcano, and they reply with running away

  4. I love manatees. By the way, i dunno how to make an account soooo call me Shooshoo! i’m nine so no bad words!

  5. Hey guys Iโ€™m a Shark, and I can tell you with absolute certainty this is fake news, inside volcanoes is liquid hot โ€œmagmaโ€ okay. Not water. So yeah youโ€™re dumb….

    1. Okay but are you a scientist? No? Yea so shut up idiot let the smart people do their thing

  6. WOW!!! I didnโ€™t know that sharks can live inside the volcano! It is actually interesting to read this.

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