Let’s kick off SharkFest 2023 with two special guest lecturers – paleobiologist Dr. Bretton Kent, currently Principal Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Lucy Howey, a shark researcher at Exeter University currently concentrating on the oceanic whitetip shark.
Spaces are limited. Doors open at 6 pm. Mingle, enjoy refreshments, and wander through the SharkFest displays. The speakers will begin at 6:30 pm with a brief intermission between each speaker.
Dr. Kent’s focus for his research is the Calvert Cliffs fossil beds on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. His lecture, titled “Biology on the Beach: The Spectacular Sharks of Calvert Cliffs,” will discuss these world-renowned cliffs known for producing a remarkable diversity of Miocene shark fossils. This diversity reflects two fundamental changes in Miocene shark communities; the diversification of a surprising array of giant sharks and a near-total restructuring of lifestyles among smaller sharks. In this talk, we will examine these interrelated changes and how they collectively produced the highly diverse shark fossil communities found in Calvert Cliffs.
Lucy Howey’s current work in sharks revolves around her Ph.D. work with the oceanic whitetip shark. Her talk will discuss the results of this decade-long endeavor and examine the complex and fascinating migrations of this
endangered pelagic species in the North Atlantic and the multilateral ways that humans are conserving and threatening the species throughout its range.
