Native Animals History and Science
Introduction
Sharks are among the oldest living predators on Earth, their lineage stretching back over 400 million years (Last & Stevens 2009). In Victoria, they inhabit bays, estuaries, and the open waters of Bass Strait, playing vital ecological roles in maintaining marine balance (Walker 1994). Species range from small bottom-dwellers like the Port Jackson Shark to large pelagic hunters such as the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias). For colonists, they symbolised fear and resource, hunted for oil, leather, and meat. Today, sharks remain complex figures—bridging science, culture, and environmental ethics (Presland 1994; Clarke 2008).
Species of Sharks in Victoria
Victoria’s waters support diverse shark species, each contributing to marine ecosystems (Bruce & Stevens 2004; Last & Stevens 2009):
Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) – Found along the coast and Bass Strait; listed as Vulnerable under Australian law. Apex predator maintaining ecological stability.
Gummy Shark (Mustelus antarcticus) – Common in Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait; targeted by fisheries and sold as “flake.”
School Shark (Galeorhinus galeus) – Once abundant but now critically overfished; population recovery is slow despite quota controls (Walker 1994).
Port Jackson Shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) – Recognisable by its blunt head and harness-like markings; lays spiral “mermaid’s purse” eggs along reefs.
Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) – Ancient lineage found in bays and estuaries; regarded as a “living fossil” species (Last & Stevens 2009).
Ecology, Behaviour, and Electroreception
Sharks act as keystone predators, regulating prey species and preventing ecosystem collapse (Heupel et al. 2014).
Electroreception: The Hidden Sixth Sense
A defining biological adaptation in sharks is electroreception—the ability to detect natural electric fields in their environment (Kalmijn 1982).
Definition: Electroreception allows animals to perceive electrical signals generated by other organisms (such as muscle contractions or nerve impulses), and by environmental changes like ocean currents or the Earth’s magnetic field.
Who has it: Sharks, rays, electric fish, and monotremes such as the platypus.
How it works: Sharks possess specialised sensory organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini—gel-filled pores concentrated around the snout that detect weak electrical fields (Kalmijn 1982; Last & Stevens 2009).
Why it’s useful:
Hunting: Locate prey hidden under sand or in turbid water.
Navigation: Detect the Earth’s magnetic field through electrical cues for orientation and migration.
Communication: Some species generate and sense electrical signals during mating or territorial interactions.
This remarkable “sixth sense” gives sharks an intuitive perception of the ocean’s living currents—a capacity mirrored in Indigenous teachings that describe sharks as beings who “feel the ocean’s heartbeat” and act with awareness of all life beneath the waves (Clarke 2008).
Sharks in Indigenous Culture
For coastal Indigenous communities across Victoria, sharks are ancestral beings linked to law, kinship, and the health of Sea Country (Presland 1994; Clarke 2008).
Totems and guardians: Certain clans maintained shark totems symbolising courage, stewardship, and respect for marine life.
Law enforcers: In oral traditions, sharks are spiritual keepers who punish those who break cultural or environmental law.
Food and tools: Smaller sharks were eaten seasonally; teeth were fashioned into cutting implements and ornaments.
Story and morality: Sharks appear in Dreaming stories as teachers of balance and restraint—reminders that greed or carelessness toward the ocean brings consequence.
For Indigenous Victorians, sharks embody the principle of reciprocity with the sea—humans may take, but only within the limits of ceremony, gratitude, and need.
Sharks on Wadawurrung Country
On Wadawurrung Country, extending from the Bellarine Peninsula and Geelong through to the Surf Coast and Bass Strait, sharks are vital to both ecology and identity (Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Presence and observation: Sharks frequent the Barwon River mouth, Point Lonsdale, and Torquay reef channels—areas tied to fishing and ceremony.
Totemic association: Some Wadawurrung families carry shark totems, connecting human ancestry to marine kinship networks.
Stories and lessons: Shark narratives serve as moral instruction, teaching youth about respect, caution, and the sacredness of Sea Country.
Cultural continuity: Contemporary Wadawurrung rangers and knowledge holders integrate these teachings into marine management and education programs, ensuring traditional law informs modern conservation (Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Indigenous Shark Stories: Victoria, Australia, and the World
Victoria and South-Eastern Australia
In Kulin Nation and Bunurong traditions, sharks guard reefs and channels, protecting the fish from human greed and pollution (Presland 1994). Stories tell of ancestors transforming into sharks to remind people of restraint and respect for marine abundance.
Northern Australia
Among the Yolŋu of Arnhem Land, the ancestral Tiger Shark Bangurru travels as a songline across the Gulf of Carpentaria, enforcing laws of sharing between saltwater clans (Clarke 2008).
Torres Strait Islands
In Torres Strait culture, shark totems embody courage and vigilance; ceremonial dances re-enact the shark circling canoes to protect voyagers from storms and danger (Clarke 2008).
Global Analogues
Hawai‘i: The aumākua shark ancestors guard families and guide them through the sea’s dangers, symbolising kinship and transformation.
Aotearoa (New Zealand): Māori stories describe chiefs turning into sharks (mango) to protect descendants and enforce ocean law.
Polynesia & Melanesia: Sharks feature in navigation myths—living compasses tied to stars and currents.
Pacific Northwest (North America): Killer whales occupy an equivalent role as ocean enforcers and clan protectors.
Across continents, Indigenous cosmologies treat apex predators as moral agents—teachers of humility, survival, and environmental reciprocity.
Colonial and Modern Histories of Fear and Exploitation
European colonists feared sharks yet exploited them relentlessly.
19th-century hunting: Sharks were caught for oil, leather, and meat; School and Gummy Sharks were major targets of colonial fisheries (Walker 1994).
Cultural portrayal: Newspapers sensationalised shark attacks, feeding myths of perilous colonial coasts (Presland 1994).
Industrial use: “Flake” became entrenched in Victorian cuisine by the early 20th century.
By the late 1900s, scientific studies by Bruce & Stevens (2004) reframed sharks as crucial to marine ecology rather than menaces, and conservation laws began protecting key species such as the Great White.
Today, collaboration between marine scientists and Indigenous custodians reasserts a holistic vision of sharks as guardians of ocean balance rather than threats to human safety.
Conservation and Modern Threats
Despite protection, sharks remain under severe pressure (Heupel et al. 2014; Walker 1994):
Overfishing and bycatch: Continuing impacts on School and Gummy Shark populations.
Habitat degradation: Coastal pollution and development destroy breeding grounds.
Climate change: Alters migration, prey distribution, and water temperatures.
Public perception: Fear still hampers conservation policy.
Modern management includes:
Listing Great Whites as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act.
Setting quotas and population monitoring for Gummy and School Sharks.
Integrating Indigenous Sea Country knowledge in marine parks and education (Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Such collaboration exemplifies how ecological science and Indigenous law together rebuild respect for the ocean’s equilibrium.
Symbolism and Meaning
In Indigenous worldviews: Sharks represent law, guardianship, and the unity of people with water (Clarke 2008).
In Western thought: They evoke both fear and fascination, symbols of untamed nature and power.
In modern science: They are understood as keystone predators, essential to biodiversity and environmental health (Heupel et al. 2014).
The convergence of these perspectives reveals a timeless truth—power must be balanced with responsibility, and every being in the sea serves a purpose in sustaining life.
Conclusion
Sharks are ancient hunters and ocean spirits, weaving together threads of science, culture, and story. On Wadawurrung Country and throughout Victoria, they stand as teachers of law and balance, guiding both ecological and moral stewardship.
Their ability to sense the unseen—through electroreception—mirrors the sensitivity required to maintain connection with Sea Country. Protecting sharks means safeguarding biodiversity, honouring Indigenous heritage, and restoring the harmony that once defined Australia’s oceans.
References
Bruce, BD & Stevens, JD 2004, Distribution and Abundance of White Sharks in Southern Australia, CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart.
Clarke, PA 2008, Indigenous Healing Practices: Smoke, Fire and Plant Use in South-Eastern Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.
Heupel, MR, Knip, DM, Simpfendorfer, CA & Dulvy, NK 2014, ‘Sizing up the ecological role of sharks as predators,’ Marine Ecology Progress Series, 495: 291–298.
Kalmijn, AJ 1982, ‘Electric and magnetic field detection in elasmobranch fishes,’ Science, 218(4575): 916–918.
Last, PR & Stevens, JD 2009, Sharks and Rays of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Presland, G 1994, Indigenous Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People, Harriland Press, Melbourne.
Walker, TI 1994, ‘The Fishery for Gummy Shark (Mustelus antarcticus) in Southern Australia,’ Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 45(5): 761–772.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (TOAC) 2023, Sea Country Management and Cultural Heritage Resources, Geelong.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.