News Excerpt:

Near the coast of the US state of Florida, a silky shark regrew a section of its fin a year after suffering a traumatic injury showing super healing abilities. 

More About the news: 

• In June 2022, scientists put a satellite tag on a shark’s dorsal fin to study and track its migration pattern. 
• After a month, the same shark's tag along with around 20 percent of the whole appendage was found missing.
• Again after 332 days later it was found that the same shark's damaged fin was healed and regrew remarkably well. 

About this Shark species: 

• Scientific name: Carcharhinus falciformis
• Silky sharks are found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans between 40°N latitude and 40°S latitude.
• They favor sub-tropical waters and are among the world’s most abundant shark species.
• In the western Atlantic from Massachusetts, USA, south to southern Brazil, in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.
• In the eastern Atlantic, silky sharks are found near Spain, northern Angola, and Cape Verde. In the Indo-Pacific there are a few records from the Red Sea and Natal, South Africa, China, New Zealand, and in the Caroline, Hawaiian, Phoenix, and Line islands.
•  In the eastern Pacific, the silky is found near southern Baja California, Mexico, and northern Chile.
• Unlike most members of the genus Carcharhinus, the pectoral fins of this species are sickle-shaped.

Importance of this case: 

• This is the first time researchers have observed a silky shark regrowing its dorsal fin and only the second recorded case of dorsal fin regeneration in any shark.
• Only a few animals show regenerative capabilities, so it becomes imperative for researchers to study and investigate it to further enhance our knowledge in this field.
• The study noted that while fin repair in sharks is rather common but it is rarely full. 
• In this case, the silky shark, according to the study, regained about 87 per cent of its fin back and was seen swimming normally. 

Conclusion: 

• The researchers, however, cannot determine if this remarkable healing process is due to new tissue, scar tissue growth, or fusion of the wound bordering parts but noted that the new fin has a slightly different coloring. 
• It is still uncertain how this shark grew its fin remarkably well as nobody has ever dissected a regenerated shark fin. 
• The outcome has provided an extraordinary opportunity to investigate the healing and regenerative abilities of silky sharks.