A. Barausse

1 Introduction The public perception of sharks is that they are often associated with ferocious pelagic predators, voracious and capable of consuming even large prey. However, human understanding of the ecological role of sharks and other chondrichthyans has changed throughout history, nowadays shifting toward an awareness of their multiple and complex ecological roles in marine ecosystems (Mazzoldi et al. 2019; Giovos et al. 2021; Dedman et al. 2024).