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FIU scientists featured in SharkFest 2023 shows on National Geographic
National Geographic’s annual SharkFest features FIU scientists.

FIU scientists featured in SharkFest 2023 shows on National Geographic

Researchers and students will appear in multiple shows and series episodes during the four-week event
Campus & Community

By Ayleen Barbel Fattal

June 30, 2023 at 9:45am

FIU shark scientists will appear in at least three original shows and various new series episodes of National Geographic’s SharkFest 2023, with cameos in several shows. They will go in search of the ocean’s top predators, investigate when and why sharks attack, explore battles between sharks and dolphins, and more.

FIU researchers, students and alumni featured include:

  • Mike Heithaus, executive dean of FIU’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education, professor of biological sciences and marine ecologist
  • Yannis Papastamatiou, FIU associate professor of biological sciences and marine biologist
  • Frances Farabaugh, shark biologist focusing on the ecology of marine predators and the role sharks play in structuring reef communities
  • Candace Fields, biological sciences Ph.D. candidate studying the population dynamics and geographic population structure of large predators 
  • Erin Spencer, biological sciences Ph.D. candidate studying the movement and behavior of great hammerhead sharks and associated prey
  • Davon Strickland, biological sciences Ph.D. student and captain of the FIU football team
  • Valeria Paz, Ph.D. graduate and dolphin biologist focusing on top predator and community ecology 

SharkFest 2023, a four-week long event, kicks off July 2 at 8 p.m. on National Geographic and streaming on HULU and Disney+. A SharkFest collection page is also available on the Nat Geo TV App and ABC App with episodes from previous years of SharkFest including some that also feature FIU scientists.

New shows and episodes for 2023 with FIU shark scientists include: 

SAVED FROM A SHARK
National Geographic – Premieres Sunday, July 2 at 10 p.m.
Nat Geo WILD – Friday, July 27 at 8 p.m.
Disney+ and HULU – Sunday, July 2

The scientific community is divided as to whether dolphins or whales will deliberately save a person from a shark attack.  But the people who have lived through these terrifying encounters are in no doubt about what happened. Heithaus provides scientific insights on this episode.


WHEN SHARKS ATTACK 360 (Six-episode Series)
National Geographic – Premieres Monday, July 3 at 8 p.m., with new episodes each night
Nat Geo WILD – Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m.
Disney+ and HULU – Sunday, July 2

An international team of experts hunts for clues as they investigate why sharks bite humans. They unravel the surprising threads that link these incidents and, as the evidence mounts, they analyze data in a cutting edge VFX shark lab to understand in forensic detail why sharks attack. Heithaus and Papastamatiou are part of the Shark 360 team providing evidence-based insights throughout the series.


BULL SHARK VS. HAMMERHEAD
National Geographic – Premieres Monday, July 3 at 10 p.m.
ESPN2 – Friday, July 7 at 9 p.m.
Nat Geo WILD – Saturday, July 28 at 9 p.m.
Disney+ and HULU – Sunday, July 2

In Florida, a rare event between top ocean predators was captured on video: bull sharks attacking a great hammerhead. FIU’s Mike Heithaus and Yannis Papastamatiou and a team of shark experts including FIU graduate students Erin Spencer, Candace Fields and Davon Strickland, launch an investigation pinning one against the other. They put experiments to the test to see what happens when these top predators come head-to-head.


SHARKANO: HAWAII
National Geographic – Premieres Wednesday, July 5 at 10 p.m.
Nat Geo WILD – Monday, July 24 at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Disney+ and HULU – Sunday, July 2

To find out why sharks are drawn to Hawaii’s volcanoes, FIU marine scientists Mike Heithaus and Frances Farabaugh free dive with one of the most dangerous sharks: the tiger shark.


SHARKS VS. DOLPHINS: BAHAMAS BATTLEGROUND
National Geographic – Premieres Monday, July 10 at 10 p.m.
Nat Geo WILD – Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.
Disney+ and HULU – Sunday, July 2

In the Bahamas, more than 30 percent of dolphins have shark-bite scars. With a never-before-seen non-toxic gel bite pad and life-sized dolphin decoy, Heithaus and FIU alumna Valeria Paz collect bite impressions from three shark species that might be the predators. Bites from bull sharks, tiger sharks and great hammerheads — up to 14 feet long — are compared to scars photographed on dolphins.


All times listed are eastern standard time.