When playing music for Port Jackson Sharks, make sure that you only play jazz. According to a new Australian study, that’s what they like best.
What kind of music did you think sharks like? If you guessed hip hop, techno, or classical, you’d be wrong. The next question might also be ‘why do you know this?’ Well, researchers from the Macquarie University Fish Lab in Australia figured it out.
They studied Port Jackson sharks and concluded that jazz seems to be the style that stimulates them during feeding time the most.
Like most water creatures, sharks rely heavily on sound waves as a form of communication, so it would only make sense that they may enjoy some form of music. After the theory was put forward that these fish might enjoy a particular style of music when it led them to an edible reward, scientists put just that to the test.
“Right off, I would probably guess that the jazz music happened to have more of a regular beat that would be more what the sharks are used to being attracted to,” explained Phillip Lobel, a biology professor. This came after they taught eight sharks to swim to a particular end of the tank after hearing jazz music in return for a tasty treat.
The study did show that the sharks found it hard to differentiate between genres when classical music was introduced. However it was still conclusive in showing their more intelligent capabilities – and a refined sonic palette – when compared to other fish.
