Sharks are now tweeting, kind of, thanks to a programme set up by Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries that has ended up safeguarding seafarers and surfers against shark attacks.
The organisation has attached wireless transmitters to over 338 sharks so far, and working in conjuction with 19 sensors along the coast, an alert is sent to Twitter if one of the tagged sharks comes within range of one of the sensors.
The automatic Tweets, posted from the Surf Life Saving Western Australia account (@SLSWA) warn readers if the sensors pick up a shark close to the coast, where swimmers and surfers could be in danger.
The programme was originally intended to study shark movements along the coast of Western Australia, and although the tweets were primarily meant for lifeguards and researchers, they could also now come in handy with shark attacks on the rise.
We’ve got the Internet of Things, the Internet of Objects, are we now seeing the rise of the…Internet of Animals?
(Jaws theme tune).
