Hammerheads Up Close: The Science Behind the Spectacle w/Dr Katy Ayres

Angie welcomes Dr. Katy Ayres to discuss sharks’ physiology and urgent conservation needs, highlight National Geographic’s SharkFest (premiering Sunday, July 5 on Nat Geo and Monday, July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu), and preview “Hammerhead Sharks Up Close”. Dr. Ayers, an England-born marine scientist and National Geographic Explorer who studies sharks in Baja, Mexico, shares how her lifelong fascination began. She explains sharks’ ecological roles as scavengers and indicators of healthy ecosystems, outlines threats including overfishing, bycatch, illegal fishing, finning practices, and climate-driven range shifts, and notes species-specific vulnerability based on life history. Timeline 00:00 Welcome to Shark Fest 01:42 Meet Dr Kaci Ayers 02:11 Shark Obsession Origins 04:23 First Big Shark Dive 06:50 Keeping Childhood Passions 08:23 Sharks Have Personalities 10:44 Ancient Survivors Explained 11:02 Teeth Tricks and Adaptations 14:41 Why Sharks Matter 17:57 Population Declines and Finning 22:10 Drone Science in Baja 29:00 Drone Counts and Trends 30:08 Orcas Shift Blacktips 31:13 AI Shark Counting 31:55 Local Shark Spotters 36:30 Shark Fest Message 40:04 Future Tagging Questions 43:15 Advice for Marine Careers 48:27 Everyday Shark Help 54:09 Wrap Up and Thanks == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation.  Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices