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Dr Vincent Raoult

@sawsharkman.bsky.social

4.3K followers 450 following 690 posts

Ecologist and fisheries biologist specialising in sharks and rays. Stable isotope expert and general technology aficionado. Senior lecturer in marine ecology, Griffith University (he/him)

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · Jul 6

2024 saw a global bleaching event, but bleaching doesn't always mean corals die. Using drones, we found the 2024 bleaching event killed over 90% of shallow corals at Lizard Island. 🧪🦑🧵

We have to act now.

@griffith.edu.au JCU MQ @geonadir.bsky.social CSIRO

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Coral bleaching and mass mortality at Lizard Island revealed by drone imagery - Coral Reefs

Quantitatively assessing mortality post coral bleaching at scale is inherently difficult, yet can be achieved with georeferenced imagery from aerial drones. Here, we assess the coral bleaching mortali...

link.springer.com

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 1h

Eastern Australian humpback whale population now well above pre-whaling levels, report finds - ABC News 🦑🧪🌎

These whales were hunted to 150 individuals. Now there's 50,000 of them

Once hunted almost to extinction, the population of humpback whales currently migrating down Australia's east coast has bounced back and is now greater than before whaling.

www.abc.net.au

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

Chris Pepin-Neff (they/them) 🏳️‍🌈 @pepinneff.bsky.social · 6d

85% of Australians Agree: You Can’t “Shark-Proof” the Ocean. New research (from me) - A new nationwide survey (from me) and collected by YouGov has revealed overwhelming agreement among Australians: shark attacks cannot be completely prevented. #sharkattack #shark #nswpol #qldpol

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 6d

This great anecdote speaks to the character quality of both Jane Goodall and Gary Larson.

SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 6d

I knew the first half of this story— that Gary Larsen’s cartoon joking Dr. Goodall was sleeping with chimpanzees caused her Institute to lawyer up only for her to find the comic super amusing upon her return from the field— but I’d never heard Larsen got attacked by a chimpanzee!

Wikipedia screenshots from the Jane Goodall entry. It reads: Gary Larson cartoon incident
In 1987, Gary Larson published a Far Side cartoon of two chimpanzees grooming, in which one discovers a blonde hair and says,
"Conducting a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" The Jane Goodall Institute called the cartoon an "atrocity" in a letter drafted by its lawyers to Larson and his syndicate. Goodall, who was in Africa at the time, later found the cartoon amusing. She went on to name it her favorite depiction of herself in pop culture.

Another Wikipedia screenshot: Larson offered profits from sales of a shirt featuring the cartoon to the Jane Goodall Institute. Goodall wrote the preface to
The Far Side Gallery 5, detailing her version of the controversy. She praised Larson's creative ideas, which often compare and contrast the behaviour of humans and animals. In 1988, Larson visited Goodall's research facility in Tanzania, and was attacked by a chimpanzee named Frodo.

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 6d

Oof, a 4m tiger is no joke, he's very lucky that it wasn't worse. Hope he recovers quickly!

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 6d

Isn't this directly a result of liberals falling apart? The racists just moved from one party to the other once they saw they were on a sinking ship...

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 6d

Vale Jane. A giant.

Professor Euan Ritchie @euanritchie.bsky.social · 7d

A true giant of conservation and humanity. What an amazing legacy Jane has created. Vale. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91

Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour

www.theguardian.com

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 9d

One of my 'hobbies' it taking macro pictures of corals at night. Up close these are always beautiful, alien looking things, often with fluorescent colours. This way, you can see individual coral polyps that make up the colonies!

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 12d

I am not anti-fishing.

I am not anti- shark fishing.

But hammerheads in particular are species of significant conservation concern, and one of the worst candidates for “catch and release” of any known fish species.

And it’d be nice if media coverage *of hammerhead fishing* mentioned that

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 12d

It’s truly baffling to me that so many of these stories focus on “wow big fish” and not “this is an IUCN Red List Critically Endangered species that is extremely physiologically fragile and often does not survive fishing practices like this”

www.mysanantonio.com/news/south-t... 🦑🧪🌎🦈🐠

Giant hammerhead shark reeled in at Corpus Christi beach

It was the third-largest hammerhead shark the Texas fishing guide caught this year.

www.mysanantonio.com

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 13d

Truly incredible that we can make a wetsuit that makes you less vulnerable to getting stabbed before we make one that doesn’t give me a mega-wedgie

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 13d

I know which one id be more likely to buy

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 13d

Worried about shark bite? We can now produce scientifically tested shark proof wetsuits that reduce the likelihood of traumatic injuries

www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR25019?f...

Effectiveness of bite-resistant materials to reduce injuries from white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) bites

Context Shark bites on humans are rare but can have substantial consequences for local coastal communities and businesses, often prompting pressure to implement effective mitigation measures. Wetsuits...

www.publish.csiro.au

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 13d

For those of view wondering, we had evidence this happened for decades before it was ever witnessed. This footage is amazing!

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 14d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 14d

When you're marking student assignments that cite your fish science nerd mates

RIP Rob Redford

a man with red hair and a beard is standing in the woods

ALT: a man with red hair and a beard is standing in the woods

media.tenor.com

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 20d

The fascinating about 99% of living organisms is they're just land for another organism to live on. In this case, most sea cucumbers have little scale worms that scurry across them and call the sea cucumber home.

Chris Mah @echinoblog.bsky.social · 21d

OH WOW. Gastrolepidia moving across this sea cucumber landscape! Its like Dune except with more worms..and underwater! #wormwednesday youtu.be/aWesOXyz6dI?...

Sea Cucumber Scale Worm (Gastrolepidia clavigera) in Romblon - Philippines , July 2024

YouTube video by kay blue

youtu.be

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 20d

We've seen these very often when taking tissue samples from sea cucumbers! Very cool that the cuke is basically an island for them :)

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 20d

Cool example of how SIA can inform gut content analysis!

Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

Chris Harrod @profchrisharrod.bsky.social · 23d

Calling all isotope ecologists.
IsoEcol 2026 will be held between October 12-17th, 2026 at the University of Hong Kong
See www.isoecol.com/2026/ for more

IsoEcol 2026 – 14th International Conference on the Application of Stable Isotope Techniques in Ecological Studies

www.isoecol.com

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 23d

Booking this one in! I should be able to attend

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 23d

Some awesome news for your Monday. Critically endangered grey nurse sharks are increasing in number by about 5% a year, the first time the conservation efforts have seemed to work for this species! Still just 1500 breeding adults across eastern Australia...

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Population surge for endangered sharks labelled 'labradors of the sea'

Scientists say increasing numbers of east coast grey nurse sharks is rare good conservation news for the critically endangered species.

www.abc.net.au

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 23d

ANZ profit over the last financial year was $3.6B, so this is just a cost of business?

Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 23d

Pretty amazing that I can map over 500,000 m2 of reef at 0.5cm resolution in under two hours, and then spit out a digital surface model a day later. Incredible how far drone tech has come in the last decade!

Digital elevation model overlaid on satellite map of Heron Island reef

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 26d

I love being able to hang out with rare and threatened species at Heron Island like this Whitespotted Guitarfish. There are a few that hang around the channel at any one time, and they typically just rest on the sand.

Despite their appearances, this is not a shark but a ray!

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Dr Vincent Raoult @sawsharkman.bsky.social · 26d

Hmmm, guess he didn't have to do conflict of interest training like the rest of us, or he skipped through all the content...

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 27d

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

Drones are becoming increasingly useful in their ability to observe wildlife. They have been especially useful in documenting marine animals such as sharks. Here we present novel aerial drone observa....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Dr Vincent Raoult

Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham @paulgp.com · 28d

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