Sharks Archives - Sharks of Onslow County

Solitary shark swimming underwater along the North Carolina coast

How Sharks Carry the Future: Life Histories Written in Tide and Time

Angelique Mitchell, MPS February 14, 2026 No Comments

The Season Beneath the Surface Along the North Carolina coast, spring does not arrive all at once. It filters in through temperature gradients, longer light, and currents that shift almost…

Winter ocean horizon off Topsail Island in Onslow County where great white sharks live miles offshore.

Reader Request: The Horizon Line: Where Great White Sharks Live off Onslow County

Angelique Mitchell, MPS January 30, 2026 2 Comments

At low tide in winter, the creeks around Topsail Island narrow into quiet channels. Spartina stems lean toward one another across dark water. Oyster reefs stand exposed, their edges iced…

Along the winter shores of Surf City and Topsail Island, the winter guild of nearshore sharks haven’t vanished—they’ve repositioned. Explore how cold water reshapes nearshore predators and the hidden ecology beneath the surf.

The Winter Guild: Nearshore Sharks and the Ecology of Cold Water

Angelique Mitchell, MPS January 23, 2026 No Comments

On a winter morning in Surf City, the beach feels emptied of its usual cast. Pelicans still cruise the shoreline in loose, patient lines, rising and settling with the wind.…

Reader Request: Cookiecutter Sharks and the Evidence They Leave Behind

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 15, 2025 No Comments

This post comes from a reader’s question sent in as our season has shifted toward winter: Can you tell me more about cookiecutter sharks—their life history, diet, and range—and do…

The 12 Days of Estuary Christmas | New River Estuary

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 13, 2025 No Comments

In the season of chilly tides and twinkling pier lights, the New River estuary doesn’t quiet down — it parties in its own salty way. So grab your cocoa, bundle…

Shark Sleigh Bells: How Sharks Track Vibrations in the Winter Sea

Angelique Mitchell, MPS December 7, 2025 No Comments

Winter’s Quiet Chorus December hushes the coastline of Onslow County. The marshgrass stiffens in the cold, the surf stills between storms, and the New River Inlet carries the metallic stillness…

Twilight over a coastal marsh with a magenta sky above New River Inlet — symbolizing the quiet season after summer’s migrations.

The Leftovers: What Happens to Summer’s Prey When the Big Fish Leave?

Angelique Mitchell, MPS November 29, 2025 No Comments

The Quiet Season Begins When the red drum, flounder, and summer sharks follow the cooling tides offshore, Onslow County’s estuaries fall quiet. The flashy chases fade, and the splashes that…

Thanksgiving Tides: New River Inlet Fish Migration in Fall

Angelique Mitchell, MPS November 21, 2025 No Comments

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving Journey Each November, when highways fill with travelers heading home for Thanksgiving, the waters of Onslow County’s New River Estuary host a quieter kind of…

More than Armor: How Shark Skin Shapes Survival

Angelique Mitchell, MPS October 6, 2025 No Comments

Have you ever wondered why, if you touch a shark from head to fin, it feels smooth—but from fin to head, it’s skin is rough like sandpaper? Sharks and rays…

Serrated or Smooth? How to Tell What Sharks Eat by its Design in Onslow County, NC

Angelique Mitchell, MPS September 17, 2025 No Comments

Shark teeth aren’t just pointy souvenirs—they’re precision tools evolved over millions of years to match each shark’s preferred prey. In Onslow County, North Carolina, our coastal waters are home to…

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