Learn about sharks and current research with Dr. Alexandra McInturf.

Sharks play a critical role in maintaining vibrant ecosystems in Oregon and around the world. Yet, considered “dangerous” by popular media and threatened by human activity worldwide, these organisms have faced global population declines. Dr. Alexandra McInturf has been studying shark species worldwide for the last decade, including those among the most vulnerable. As an animal behaviorist, she researches some of the most understudied components of these organisms, including their social behavior. In this presentation, she will introduce some of the key characteristics of sharks (what makes a shark, a shark), talk about shark diversity, and finally discuss some of the projects she and other researchers are undertaking on different species (including white sharks) in the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University.

Dr. Alexandra McInturf is a research associate in the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University. She focuses on studying the movement and behavior of large fishes, primarily sharks. She is currently working on projects related to Pacific spiny dogfish, salmon sharks, white sharks, and basking sharks. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she also believes strongly in offering access to knowledge about these misunderstood organisms, and as such is an avid science communicator in addition to her research. To this end, she is co-coordinator of the Irish Basking Shark Group, an organization dedicated to the study of, education about, and research on basking sharks in Ireland.


*cr* *ani* *lw*