Copyright forbes
The idea that a shark’s dorsal fin might be more than just a stabilizer may seem small, but it opens up big questions. Drones have quickly become a game-changer in marine biology. Once the realm of expensive submersibles or luck-dependent boat surveys, shark research now has a bird’s-eye view — literally! From high above the waves, drones let scientists watch these predators in their natural environment without disturbing them. Over the past decade, drones provide a perspective that was previously impossible: the ability to track movements over large areas, observe interactions between individuals (e.g., cooperating during feeding, tracking schools of fish), and record complex behaviors in high resolution and in real time. Beyond behavior, drones generate vast datasets that allow researchers to quantify things like swimming speed, body posture, and group dynamics, offering a window into cognitive processes that were previously inferred only from indirect evidence like tagging or stomach contents. But as with most good science, every discovery also opens up new questions. One of the most fascinating of these recent findings involves the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), arguably the ocean’s most famous predator. Thanks to drones, scientists have long known that white sharks are strategic hunters. They use sunlight angles to stalk seals, breach from below in ambush, and even perform “tail slaps” to assert dominance over rivals. But in 2023, drone footage off the coast of California revealed something scientists had never seen before: white sharks appearing to use their dorsal fins to make contact with floating objects. “I didn’t immediately recognize it as scientifically novel because I had seen similar behavior in other white sharks over the years. I just hadn’t thought much of it until Phil pointed out the behavioral aspects and how it could be relevant to the species,” comments Carlos Guana of Malibu Artists Inc. “I try not to over-interpret my footage. […] Observation is the first step of science, and I believe photographers and filmmakers play a crucial role in that process.” It started with what seemed like an ordinary observation. Pilot Carlos Gauna of Malibu Artists Inc. was flying his drone near Goleta, California, monitoring a white shark as it swam calmly beneath the surface. Suddenly, the shark spotted an unidentified object floating nearby. Instead of ignoring it, the shark changed direction, approached slowly and bumped the object with its nose; this was an expected move, since sharks often use their snouts to explore their environment. But then something unexpected happened: as the object drifted alongside the shark’s body, the animal’s dorsal fin visibly rotated toward it, almost as if the shark was reaching out to touch it. A similar moment had already been recorded, near Santa Barbara, when a white shark swam directly toward a floating object and appeared to make first contact not with its nose, but with its dorsal fin. Once again, the fin rotated slightly on its axis before returning to its upright position. It wasn’t just gliding past, Gauna and Sternes say, believing that the movement looked intentional. To most viewers, that might seem like a minor detail. But for shark scientists, it’s a breakthrough observation. The dorsal fin has long been thought of as a rigid stabilizer, or a sort of natural keel that helps sharks maintain balance during fast swimming. Yet these new videos suggest that the fin is far more flexible and dynamic than previously realized. The footage supports earlier anatomical work showing that a white shark’s dorsal fin can rotate on its base, allowing for a surprising range of motion. That flexibility might have more than one purpose, as the new evidence hints at something even more intriguing: that the dorsal fin might also serve a sensory role. Sharks are already known for having some of the most sophisticated sensory systems in the animal kingdom. Their snouts contain electroreceptors that detect electric fields from nearby prey, while their lateral line system picks up subtle vibrations in the water. Their skin can sense pressure changes, and their eyes and nose are fine-tuned for low-light hunting. If the dorsal fin also provides sensory feedback — whether through touch or hydrodynamic cues — it would add a new layer to our understanding of how sharks perceive their surroundings. “The fun part is diving deeper into the literature to see if this behavior has been documented in any other sharks or fish in general,” explains Dr. Phillip Sternes, co-author of this new paper and Educator for the Education and Conservation Department at SeaWorld San Diego. “While it has never been suggested the dorsal fin is a sensory structure in cartilaginous fish, it has been suggested to be a sensory structure in bony fish. Now, I think we need to go back and take a closer look at the dorsal fin in sharks.” MORE FOR YOU Observing behavior like this encourages us not just to look more closely, but to reconsider the very ways we interpret intelligence, sensation, and engagement in the natural world. In the Goleta observation, for example, the shark first examined the object with its nose, then moved its dorsal fin toward it. That sequence suggests it may have been gathering more information, with the individual perhaps confirming texture, shape or position. In the Santa Barbara case, the shark seemed to skip the nose check entirely, leading the duo to wonder whether it sometimes relies on the dorsal fin as a primary sensory structure. It’s also possible the movement is a reflexive response rather than a conscious investigation. Either way, it points to the dorsal fin being a much more complex organ than previously assumed. For decades, our understanding of shark behavior relied heavily on indirect evidence: bite marks on prey, tracking tags that revealed movement patterns, or the occasional fleeting observation from boats or divers. While these methods provided valuable insights, they offered only a fragmented view of how sharks actually interact with their environment and with each other. We were seeing shadows of behavior, not the full picture. Drones change that completely. From high above, we can watch interactions unfold naturally, capturing subtle movements that were previously invisible to human observers. The sharks often behave as if the drones aren’t there at all, which means we’re witnessing behaviors that are truly representative of their day-to-day lives. Hunting strategies, social interactions, object investigation, and even moments of apparent curiosity can now be documented and analyzed in detail. In many ways, drones are providing a bridge between the world of human observation and the lived experience of sharks, revealing a depth of behavior and cognitive power that we are only beginning to appreciate. “Sensory system of sharks is fascinating. Sharks are iconic and well known for their ability to detect electrical signals in the water. If sharks do use their fins to better understand their surroundings this now raises questions on the multinsensory integration in sharks,” says Sternes. “Basically, which sensory system might go off first and which other sensory systems might they use to help them investigate their environment. It is an exciting field to explore.” While this may seem inconsequential, it truly challenges how we think about perception and intelligence in a creature we thought we knew. If a fin can also function as a sensory organ, it forces us to ask what other hidden capabilities sharks might possess. How much information about their surroundings could a single fin convey? Are they sensing currents, objects, or even the presence of other animals in ways we’ve never imagined? Could this behavior be part of communication, a navigational aid, or even a subtle tool in hunting strategies? Could it be that we’ve only scratched the surface of understanding shark perception because our methods were too limited or our assumptions too narrow? “It’s my opinion that sharks use their fins for more than just stability, and if further research supports that idea, it could fundamentally change how we study and tag them,” Gauna says. “From my daily observations alone, I can tell you white sharks demonstrate a remarkable understanding of their surroundings — far more than we often assume.” Perhaps the biggest lesson to take away here is one that the natural sciences seems to dish out time and time again: nature is rarely as simple as it appears, and the more closely we look, the more layers of complexity we discover. That makes one wonder how many other secrets are quietly shaping the lives of animals around us, waiting for us to notice — and what does that mean for the way we see our own place in the natural world? Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
