Enrico Gennari
Encyclopedia
Enrico Gennari is a marine biologist who specialises in the study of the great white shark
.
(Italy) the 21st January 1977. At 6 years of age he had proclaimed he was going to study the great white shark
.
His university career in Rome culminated in a masters degree in Natural Science at the university of Rome “La Sapienza” in February 2004 (magna cum laude). His degree thesis was on a vertebral ageing study in Etmopterus spinax, a bottom-dwelling shark typical of the Mediterranean sea, creating a new technique to “read” for the first time ever very difficult vertebra.
Gennari decided to have a year break in order to dedicate time to his other passion: scuba diving. So he spent a summer in Ustica, near Sicily (Italy), working as a dive master. He then worked with Ryan Johnson
for 9 months during 2005, when they got insights into many white shark characteristics, some of them unknown till then, like the night time predatory behaviour of the white shark, as can be watched on the National Geographic documentary “Sharkville”. In 2005 they conducted the longest ever manual track of a single white shark: 103 hours, almost 5 days.
He then enrolled at Rhodes University
for his PhD study on the thermo physio-ecology of the white shark under the supervision of Dr. Paul Cowley from SAIAB and Ryan Johnson. At the same time he and three other marine researchers (Johnson, Stephen Swanson and Toby Keswick) decided to create a private marine research institute focused on marine top predator called the Oceans Research. At present Gennari is researching for his PhD in Mossel Bay trying to disclose the secrets behind the endothermic
ability of the great white shark
to elevate parts of its body warmer than the external water temperature.
In 2008 Gennari, as a member of Oceans Research, initiated a great white shark research internship program that allows students from around the world to gain practical research skills.
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
.
Early life and education
Gennari was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Italy) the 21st January 1977. At 6 years of age he had proclaimed he was going to study the great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
.
His university career in Rome culminated in a masters degree in Natural Science at the university of Rome “La Sapienza” in February 2004 (magna cum laude). His degree thesis was on a vertebral ageing study in Etmopterus spinax, a bottom-dwelling shark typical of the Mediterranean sea, creating a new technique to “read” for the first time ever very difficult vertebra.
Gennari decided to have a year break in order to dedicate time to his other passion: scuba diving. So he spent a summer in Ustica, near Sicily (Italy), working as a dive master. He then worked with Ryan Johnson
Ryan Johnson (marine scientist)
Ryan Johnson is a marine biologist specializing in researching sharks. He is best known for the shark documentaries that he features in and hosts.- Early life :...
for 9 months during 2005, when they got insights into many white shark characteristics, some of them unknown till then, like the night time predatory behaviour of the white shark, as can be watched on the National Geographic documentary “Sharkville”. In 2005 they conducted the longest ever manual track of a single white shark: 103 hours, almost 5 days.
He then enrolled at Rhodes University
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
for his PhD study on the thermo physio-ecology of the white shark under the supervision of Dr. Paul Cowley from SAIAB and Ryan Johnson. At the same time he and three other marine researchers (Johnson, Stephen Swanson and Toby Keswick) decided to create a private marine research institute focused on marine top predator called the Oceans Research. At present Gennari is researching for his PhD in Mossel Bay trying to disclose the secrets behind the endothermic
Endothermic
In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction in which the system absorbs energy from the surroundings in the form of heat. Its etymology stems from the prefix endo- and the Greek word thermasi,...
ability of the great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
to elevate parts of its body warmer than the external water temperature.
In 2008 Gennari, as a member of Oceans Research, initiated a great white shark research internship program that allows students from around the world to gain practical research skills.
Television appearances
- 2006 Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
: After the Attack - 2007 Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
: Shark Tribe - 2007 National Geographic: Sharkville
- 2010 Channel Four: Inside Nature's Giants
External links
Scientific Articles
- Johnson, R., Bester, M.N., Dudley, S.F.J., Oosthuizen, W.H., Meÿer, M.A., Hancke, S. & Gennari, E. (2009) Coastal swimming patterns of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) at Mossel Bay, South Africa. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 85(3):189-200
- Gubili, C., Johnson, R., Gennari, E., Oosthuizen, w.H., Kotze, P.G.H., Meÿer, M.A., Sims, D.W., Jones, C.S. & Noble, L.R. (2009) Concordance of genetic and fin photo identification in the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, of Mossel Bay, South Africa. Marine Biology Published on-line first.
- Gennari E. and Scacco U., 2007. First age and growth estimates in the deep water shark, Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758), by deep coned vertebral analysis. Marine Biology 152 (5): 1207-1214
- Kock A., Johnson R.L., Bester M.N., Compagno L., Cliff G., Dudley S., Gennari E., Griffiths C.L., Kotze D., Laroche K., Meyer M.A., Oosthuizen W.H. and Swanson S., 2006. White shark abundance: not a causative factor in numbers of shark bite incidents. In: Finding a balance: white shark conservation and recreational safety in the Inshore waters of Cape Town, South Africa. D.C. Nel and T.P. Peschak Eds. WWF South Africa Report Series - 2006/Marine/001.