Source Times entertainment
In a discovery that has left marine biologists and volcanologists astonished, scientists have found sharks swimming inside the caldera of one of the world’s most active underwater volcanoes, challenging long-held assumptions about marine life and extreme environments.
The rare sighting was made during a recent research expedition at the Kavachi volcano in the Solomon Islands, a highly active submarine volcano known for frequent eruptions, boiling water, and extreme acidity. Despite these hostile conditions, researchers captured footage showing scalloped hammerhead sharks and silky sharks swimming calmly within the volcano’s submerged crater.
Kavachi, often dubbed the “sharkcano,” erupts several times a year, releasing superheated water, ash, and toxic gases. Scientists had long believed that such an environment would be uninhabitable for large marine predators. The presence of sharks, however, suggests these animals possess a remarkable ability to tolerate conditions once thought impossible for complex life.
Researchers used specially designed underwater cameras and tracking devices to explore the crater, expecting to find little or no marine life. Instead, they recorded multiple shark species moving through the murky, mineral-rich waters, apparently unaffected by the volcano’s activity.
“This discovery fundamentally changes how we think about sharks and their adaptability,” scientists involved in the study said. “These animals are surviving in an environment with extreme heat, low visibility, and high acidity. It raises important questions about their physiology and behavior.”
Experts believe the sharks may be using the volcano as a temporary refuge, possibly benefiting from warm waters, abundant nutrients, or reduced competition from other predators unable to survive there. Another theory suggests the sharks enter the caldera during periods of reduced volcanic activity and leave before eruptions intensify.
The finding has broader implications for understanding life in extreme environments, including the potential for life near underwater volcanoes elsewhere on Earth — and even on other planets with similar conditions.
Scientists plan further expeditions to study how sharks navigate and survive in such hazardous waters, hoping the research could offer new insights into evolution, resilience, and the limits of life in Earth’s oceans.
For now, the mystery of sharks thriving inside an active underwater volcano continues to intrigue researchers, reinforcing the ocean’s reputation as one of the planet’s least understood frontiers.
