BY HEATHER MARLETTE
Okay,
so no, sharks do not grr nor do they argh – but if I can bring it back to Joss
Whedon, and by extension Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, I will. Every time – so, I guess warning blog readers,
warning. Any way in today’s Shark Week tribute blog, I intend to kind of go
over the different types of more well-known sharks to show you that they really
are just animals that do what they do, no need to be scared. They are truly
just doing what is in their nature to do, and they are not hunting human kind,
no “man-eating” killer sharks here. I do have to give another disclosure –
these are my personal favorite species of sharks. I have researched and know
these sharks as they are the ones that interest me the most. Disclosure – I am
not a shark expert and these are the facts I know to be true and am always
welcome to scientific correction. The ranking of sharks is my opinion ONLY.
Number
10 on my list is the gigantic yet graceful Whale Shark. The Whale Shark is a
filter feeding (feeds from straining water for food particles/matter) fish that
grows to enormous length, the average being 31.82 feet and 9 tons– the largest
recorded at 41.50 feet and 21.5 tons, though many have claimed to have seen
larger. This shark enjoys warmer or tropical waters, and as far as science
knows lives for about 70 years. Though they have been known mainly as filter
feeders, there is some documentation of them feeding on small schools of fish,
or in the area where fish have spawned. It is a five gill shark, with 300-350
sharp rows of small teeth. The shark has a grey body, white stomach and
trademark yellow spots and stripes. The
Whale Shark is an active feeder. This gentle giant does not appear to pose any
harm to divers at all, and many divers report having been able to “catch a ride”
on them – though, responsibility screams at me to mention that the shark
scientific community majorly warns against this. Breeding and birthing are
pretty un-known, though it is believed that they give birth to a pup, not lay
eggs.
Number
9 is the Pacific Angelshark – which is shock of all shocks, a subspecies of the
angel shark that is found in the Pacific Ocean. How do you like my
investigative skills now, what, WHAT??
It is mainly the Eastern Pacific, This is a small shark, averaging about 5
feet, and they have the same characteristic Angel Shark features, the flat body
and large pectoral and pelvic fins. They are ambush predators who target their
victims by sight, concealing themselves on the ocean floor and attacking squid
and spiny fish that venture close enough. Most stay in a hunting spot up to
several days. They are largely nocturnal creatures, staying buried under the
sea floor in the day. They are mainly solo creatures and they are what are
known as viviparous breeders, having up to 6 pups at a time. They are not
necessarily dangerous to mankind, unless provoked which can result in a major
and painful bite. Sadly they are classified as a Near Threatened species, since
their meat is much sought after and are hunted by professionals and sportsman.
Next
up at number 8 is the Silvertip Shark. This is a larger shark that can be
easily identified by the white marks around the edge of its fin. It is found in
both the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and can attain an average length of 10
feet. It is often spotted near coral reefs and near offshore islands, and can
dive to depths as deep as 2,600 feet. They are also viviparous breeders, having
up to 11 pups at a time, always in the summer season. They are a fierce
predator that reigns over smaller fish and other requiem (live bearing, warm/fresh/brackish
water, migratory) sharks similar in size, and often have scarred bodies to
reflect their confrontational nature. They are not scared of humans, and since
they are confrontational in nature, they are categorized as a threat to humans
since they have no fear and often come close to divers. They are a huge target
for hunters, as every part of them is coveted from their jaws/teeth to their
fins to their meat. They join our friend the Pacific Angelshark on the Near
Threatened Species list due to this.
Give
it up for the requiem sharks – cruising in at Number 7 on this very scientific
list is the Grey Reef Shark. It has the typical reef shark features with a
short and round snout and big eyes. They are fast swimmers, and the most common
reef shark in Indo-Pacific region. They will always be found in the shallow
water before the coral reef drop-offs (I know, again with my investigative
skills…) and are actually quite small for sharks, average length attained is
usually a little over 6 feet. What they lack in length these lovely sharks make
up with in aggression. Being ironic, they are not territorial creatures, but
quite social, often hanging out in groups of as up to as many as 20 in
daylight, and breaking off to individual hunting routines at night. They too
are viviparous (realizing at this point I have not explained that well, it is
simply a creature that sustains an embryo or embryos through a placental
connection) giving birth from 1 to 6 pups every other year. They were one of
the first and most definitive species to go through what is known as the threat
display – hunching their posture, dropping their pectoral fins and swimming
side to side. They are seen as dangerous to divers, and you should watch for
their tell-tale threat display if around them. Since they are suspect to
commercial fisheries combined with their slow and low reproduction rates, they
too are on the Near Threatened Species lists…are you seeing a trend?
Sprint
swimming into Number 6 is the beautiful Blue Shark There is nary a better shark
to leave today’s blog with - and I do need to leave you wanting to come back
for 5-1, right? They are of course a requiem shark, viviparous delivering large
broods of 25-100 pups at a time and live for about 20 years to the best of our
knowledge. They segregate into sexually specified schools also grouped by size,
and have been called the “wolves” of the sea. They prefer cooler water and
migrate large distances. Males range from 6 feet to 9 feet, and the female is
larger at 7 feet to 11 feet, males reaching maturity at 4-5 years old, and
females at 5-6 years old. Adult Blues do not have major predators outside of
killer whales, while younger ones can fall victim to other sharks as well. They
are typically slow moving and slightly lethargic, but can have great bursts of
speed. They are not seen as hugely dangerous to mankind, with only a recorded
13 attacks on record, and 4 fatalities. They cannot be found on any lists and
though upwards of 10 to maybe 20 million of them a year are recorded as hunted
by humans, but their flesh though edible is not widely sought after, though
they are sometimes sought after for sportsman due to their beauty and speed.
They do not do well in captivity usually dying within 30 days – so let’s leave
them in their natural habitat, please
There
you go…numbers 10-6 on Heather’s list of rocking sharks…trust me, you want to
tune in tomorrow when I will let you know the awesomeness of the top 5 sharks
according to Heather…trust me there is no science here at all, so if you want
to see something interesting, I would keep tuned…
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