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Researchers Test Whether Sharks Enjoy Christmas Songs

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-now dept.

Scientists plan to test whether sharks enjoy listening to Christmas pop songs, after US research showed fish could recognize melody. Chris Brown, senior marine biologist at the Loch Lomond aquarium, said seasonal music would be played through walkthrough underwater tunnels where they can be heard by dozens of nurse sharks, black-tip reef sharks, and ray species. Experts will then monitor the sharks' reactions to different songs. We'll play everything from Kim Wilde and Mel Smith's Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade to Wham's Last Christmas. We may find they prefer something softer like White Christmas by Bing Crosby," Brown said. Thank you for answering this question science.

25 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. More appropriate would be by DeadPixels · · Score: 5, Funny

    A "Great" White Christmas.

    1. Re:More appropriate would be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Famous holiday shark films.

      Grandma Got Ate By a Great White.

      Silent Bite.

      Rudolph the Red Nosed Reef Shark.

      Santa Claus VS the Great White.

      It's a Wonderful Lifeboat, The Story of the Indianapolis.

      A Christmas Gory.

  2. Watch out! by zobier · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't let them get a hold of any lasers, that could be a bad combination.

    --
    Me lost me cookie at the disco.
    1. Re:Watch out! by tirefire · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you kidding? There would be killer light shows.

  3. Suicide rate skyrockets by Umuri · · Score: 4, Funny

    as the sharks bludgeon themselves on the sides of the tunnel, being unable to plug their ears as scientists incessently torture them with 90s remakes that completely lack christmas spirit.

    --
    You never realize how much manually made unmanaged "linked" lists suck, till you have src.link.link.link.link...
    1. Re:Suicide rate skyrockets by Hal_Porter · · Score: 4, Funny

      From the movies I've seen, I'm sure the sharks will have their revenge on the scientists sooner or later.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  4. Re:I'm a girl on Slashdot by MrKevvy · · Score: 4, Funny

    re: "Mod me up because I have a vagina and I advertise it through my username!"

    Hmmm... "Anonymous Coward". Yes, kind of an obscure reference but, indeed, you are correct there. :^p

    --
    -- Insert witty one-liner here. --
  5. The water outside is delightful. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    But these great whites are so damn frightful.

  6. Best Guess... by maz2331 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The best guess I have is that they probably won't care about it at best, or they will just be somewhat annoyed by the noise.

    Now, if it were something like Two-Fin Shakur or even Mariah Carp we might get a scientifically valid result.

    1. Re:Best Guess... by shawb · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's obvious that sharks would be into cock rock.

      --
      I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
  7. Good Work Guys! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    who says our tax dollars aren't being put to good use?

    1. Re:Good Work Guys! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      all that effort could have been placed somewhere more productive (think humans)

      no silly, we already know humans enjoy listening to pop christmas songs. the sort of humans who you wish would be used to feed the sharks, anyhow

  8. Re:Want to know about sharks and x-mas tunes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Your post about Christmas songs reminded me of this Slashdot thread from more than 4 years ago. It still cracks me up.

  9. I would like to see... by Skiron · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...what happens if they pipe the 'Jaws' movie theme music - see if they all shit themselves and get out of the water real fast.

  10. Yep... by thewaker · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think we're gonna need a bigger grant...

  11. Very evil. by BigDXLT · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sharks with frickin' christmas tunes stuck in their heads...?

  12. Laser Sharks by aetherworld · · Score: 2, Funny

    test whether sharks enjoy listening to Christmas pop songs

    No. They don't.

    They enjoy lasers as christmas presents though...

  13. Where is PETA? by Atrox666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this isn't cruel animal testing I don't know what is.

    1. Re:Where is PETA? by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 2, Funny

      What would really be cruel is making them listen to every iTunes free song of the week.

  14. I hope they'll try one Christmas classic... by jejones · · Score: 2, Funny

    Surely sharks will like "Santa Jaws". (mp3 here).

  15. next test: by Jeek+Elemental · · Score: 3, Funny

    do sharks enjoy researchers?

  16. Torturing humans, ok but torturing sharks? by xophos · · Score: 4, Funny

    The evil in the USA knows no bounds.

  17. I For One... by pandrijeczko · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... welcome our new carol-loving, aquatic predatorial overlords.

    --
    Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
  18. Speaking as a Shark by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I can safely say I hate Christmas music.

  19. Re:What happened to Idle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It happened when 4chan was slashdotted, there was a brief connection (think merry and sauron through the palantir). I don't think the place has been the same since.