:focal(1169x646:1170x647)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/99/e9/99e9adb3-c902-4585-b246-23c419859849/gettyimages-1367369483.jpg)
If a human diver tried to map underwater seagrass, it would be slow going. Limited to fairly shallow waters, the person would need to come up for air and take breaks from swimming. So, to better understand where these marine flowering plants grow, a team of scientists turned to some unusual allies: sharks.
In a new study published Tuesday in Nature Communications, researchers mapped out what might be the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem using cameras and trackers attached to tiger sharks ).