{
  "id": 17060843,
  "title": "First individual-based model of basking sharks replicates complicated social and environmental drivers of behavior",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/first-individual-based-model-of-basking-sharks-replicates-complicated",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-29T12:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-individual-based-basking-sharks-replicates.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking study published in Individual-Based Ecology unveils the first individual-based model (IBM) of basking shark behavior off the coast of Ireland. This groundbreaking model, unveiled by researchers Chelsea Gray and her team, simulates the movement of these massive, solitary sharks over the Inishowen Peninsula between 1982 and 2018. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about the drivers of basking shark aggregations, revealing that both environmental factors and social interactions play a crucial role in shaping their social structures.\n\nBasking sharks, the second-largest fish in the world, are known for their solitary nature and individual migration routes. However, they periodically form surface aggregations ranging from pairs to groups of up to 1,000 animals, a behavior that remains poorly understood and poses significant conservation concerns due to the risk of boat strikes. Traditional models had struggled to capture these intricate social dynamics, failing to accurately replicate the complex interplay between sharks and their environment.\n\nThe key to this new model lies in its ability to simulate both food availability and social attraction simultaneously. By directly incorporating zooplankton data to capture fine-scale prey patchiness, the researchers found that the combined food-and-social submodel produced the most realistic results, boasting lower error rates and a closer match to observed sightings compared to alternative models. In contrast, food-only, social-only, and random movement models rarely generated aggregations larger than two sharks, highlighting the importance of considering both environmental and social factors in understanding basking shark behavior.\n\nLead author Chelsea Gray expressed pride in finally sharing this long-awaited study, emphasizing its potential for future developments and collaborations in basking shark research. The model offers a flexible framework that can be further refined with improved environmental and behavioral data as they become available. Gray encourages researchers interested in exploring or experimenting with individual-based models for basking sharks to reach out for further discussions and potential collaborations.\n\nThis study marks a significant step forward in understanding the complex drivers of basking shark behavior, providing a valuable tool for conservation efforts and contributing to the growing body of research on individual-based modeling techniques.",
  "summary": "A new study published in Individual-Based Ecology presents the first individual-based model (IBM) of basking shark behavior.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}