Could focusing on white sharks’ processing of visual stimuli lead to a more effective repellent?

The Telegraph reports that new studies involving the dissection of shark brains has indicated that a large portion of the white shark’s (Carcharodon carcharias) brain is associated with visual input. Researcher Kara Yopak of the University of W. Australia believes that understanding how the white shark’s brain functions could be vital to developing repellents that are based on visual stimuli.

Existing repellents tend to target the ampullae of Lorenzini, which are electroreceptors used by sharks to detect electrical fields in the water. According to Yopak, these types of repellents failed to deter attacks from white sharks in all cases. Yopak believes that focusing on the effects of neurobiology on white shark behavior could help to develop a more effective deterrent.

For more information, you can check out the full article at The Telegraph.