Dan-nun dan-nun dan-nun.
We all know that song from Jaws and before every great shark scene. They are considered to be the lions of the deep, alphas of the blue and the great shark, these animals have a whole week on the Discovery Channel to themselves. Considered the most dangerous week on television, people flock to their television sets everyday to watch these graceful creatures.
This week contains dangerous encounters, biological discoveries and a passion to understand how these creatures hunt, breed, and travel across the world. Many people are terrified of sharks but these people have dedicated their lives to finding out all that they can about these elusive animals.
Great whites have to be the most popular of sharks. They were in Jaws (all three) and are the most easily recognized because of their white bellies and massive size. Females can grow up to 25 feet long and weigh more than a ton while males can grow up to 16 feet long and weighing about the same. One interesting thing I learned during Shark Week this year was that there is always an alpha around. The smaller teenage sharks will suddenly swim off and leave whatever they are eating or investigating if they sense a larger alpha male.
Great whites will also live up to fifty years and can carry up to 14 pups (baby sharks) every year that they breed. They travel when they are preparing to give birth, hopefully giving their pups a better chance at hunting to find food and be safe from predators such as Orcas and other aggressive whales.
Another frightening shark called the Mako shark was featured this year. The Mako is a fast shark that sort of glides and zips through the water. They are faster than other sharks and have more teeth than many. Their teeth are crooked and jagged, they look like a shady character and that is exactly what they are. They are the shady shark in the ocean. Conniving and smart they know just the right attack method and will not hesitate to exploit their prey’s weaknesses.
Many people do not know of the Mako and that is okay since they are the least aesthetically pleasing sharks to be seen.
White tips are responsible for more attacks on humans than any other shark in the ocean. Yep, you heard that right more than any other shark in the ocean.These sharks can grow up to 13 feet long and can swim in depths up to 750 feet. It is easily recognized with it’s longer pectoral fin and stocky body, they are closely related to the infamous bull shark. White tips are responsible for the most people killed in one attack. The USS Indianapolis sank thanks to a Japanese sub with over 900 people on board. White tips circled the debris for hours quietly picking people off one by one. Four days after it sank the survivors had dwindled down to 300 people.
These sharks might not be very well known but, they are the most patient of hunters. They will circle and find any weakness you have before using it and attacking you. They glide through the ocean thanks to the pectoral fins and will not hesitate to eat, at the right time.
There you have it, my quick recap of the most memorable sharks from the deadliest week on television. Sharks are deadly and they are in charge in the ocean. So when you are swimming in the ocean respect the wildlife that lives in it. After all, you are in their territory and their home treat it with the same respect you would treat a bear in its territory.
