Scientists Discover Why Sharks Can Swim So Fast

MediaSight writes "Shortfin mako sharks can shoot through the ocean at up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres an hour). Now a trick that helps them to reach such speeds has been discovered — the sharks can raise their scales to create tiny wells across the surface of their skin, reducing drag like the dimples on a golf ball."

Comments

Re: new?

[Trubadidudei]

I think only the structure of the scales was actually known, sharks raising them to obtain a different skin texture is the new part here.
I bet all those athletes who paid handsomely for their "shark scale" suits are regretting that purchase just about, now.

No Discovery About Sharks

[John Hasler]

From the article I conclude that the researchers have performed an experiment that indicates that if sharks do raise their scales while swimming it might allow them to go faster. They've discovered nothing about what sharks actually do.