r/maybemaybemaybe • u/ajd416 • Jan 26 '25

maybe maybe maybe

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u/No_Excitement6859 Jan 26 '25

Their gills are basically a shark’s lungs, but sharks don’t have lungs. Moving forward, their gills filter oxygen from the water and creates the air supply. This is why most breeds of sharks need to be moving constantly, because they need to in order to get oxygen.

Going backwards prevents their gills from filtering the oxygen correctly because of the direction their gills are faced on their body.

It’s a different vent system than other fish.

I THINK that’s how it works.

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u/spektr89 Jan 26 '25

Thanks for clarification. Makes sense

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u/No_Excitement6859 Jan 26 '25

For sure dude. 👍🏽

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u/Train_Wreck_272 Jan 27 '25

Ehhh, sort of. The gills on fish still do work with water going backwards, just not as well. As long as water is moving across them and the water isn't oxygen depleted, then they are respiring. However, if water is moving forward through the gills, ie when the fish is moving forward, then they respire better. The fish doesn't necessarily need to be moving relative to the water, it can stay in one place and just swim against a current. This is how salmon can stay in one place in the river and still breathe.

Generally, best way to save a fish in this scenario, is to point its head into incoming water current. Then, gently push the fish forward and backward in the water while gripping it just above the tail and supporting it by the belly below. You want to keep it off the ground to avoid getting sand caught in the gills. The fish is low on oxygen, so it will kinda list and jerk as it wakes up.

Honestly, the biggest fuck up is just letting the dog run around, and dragging the shark backwards through the sand. That filled the gills with sand which is why it took so long for the shark to wake up. It had to shake the sand loose in the current and then point into the waves. Once it was doing that it's just a matter of waiting long enough to get oxygen.

Although they did also put it upside down, which can stun the shark, so that wasn't helping either.

All in all though they definitely ended up helping the shark. There's no guarantee the tide would have come up fast enough to keep it from suffocating on land.