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The
Shark Chronicles
Few underwater sights provoke more apprehension then an attack by a shark which happened to my buddy and I as we we diving on a reef in the Red Sea. The most disturbing aspect of the encounter was the speed at which it occurred. We were swimming in about 50 feet of water, casually looking at some to the smaller coral formations, and marine life, when out of nowhere, a gray reef shark appeared in the distance. When we first saw the shark, it must have been 50 to 60 feet away. Someone should have shouted "incoming!" because the reef shark came at us like a speeding bullet. The only protection available was my video camera which I thrust into the shark"s face. At that instant, the shark turned 180 degrees and sped into the distance where it disappeared. Within a matter of 5 or 6 seconds the shark had appeared, charged us, and then disappeared. We were both shaken and had a new realization of our vulnerability as divers.
I was very surprised by the shark's actions as we had done many dives with reef sharks and hammerheads and we had never encountered a threatening situation. But here on a reef not noted for its shark activity, we felt like bait. In the end I realized that it was just a display of territorial behavior. The shark was simply trying to tell us that we did not belong in its territory. We did continue the dive, but spent a lot of time looking over our shoulders. Our friend did return, although this time the shark kept its distance and made several passes back and forth before disappearing once and for all. This made for some great shark footage. We were a bit nervous during the sharks's second visit, but our fear was overcome by curiosity and an admiration for the power and beauty of the streamlined hunter. Even though this one shark did scare the daylights of me I still look forward to diving with more sharks. In fact, I'm pondering my next shark infested dive vacation.
Shark encounter by a Visitor to the Shark Page!
During a summer visit to Morrow Bay, Cal if, my brothers and I were catching hermit crabs by the pier,when my brother lost hold of the bucket we had them in. I went after it and fell in the water. The bank was steep and rocky, so while i was trying to get out, I wasn't looking behind me until my brother yelled and pointed. when i looked back, I saw a fin headed right for me, about 20 feet away. my brother reached down and grabbed my arm, physically hauling me out of the water, but the shark took the shoe right off my left foot. Later that night, we were night fishing when my dad and I hooked into an 8 ft hammerhead shark. Our line wasn't strong enough to bring him up (it was a male),so a boat, the sea lassie, helped us. We opened up the shark, and my shoe was inside, half-dissolved and slimy. While we were occupied looking, the shark, who wasn't dead yet, finned me on the arm and flipped back off the dock into the water. That ended the night fishing, since dad didn't want us kids on the dock with a "feeding frenzy" going on-other sharks were already there. Thus was I introduced to sharks at the age of 6. Thanks Froggy for your story! |
| Everything You Wanted to Know About SHARKS but were afraid to ask......... | |
SHARK OF THE MONTH |
THE HAMMERHEAD |
Family Sphyrnidae...............................Hammerhead Sharks |
The genus Sphyrna, or Hammerhead is the most easily recognizable of all sharks. There are nine species of hammerhead. A unique family with greatly depressed and laterally expanded head. The eye position at the extreme ends of the 'hammer', gives the shark a 360 degrees vision, and a more perfect depth perception. Larger species are mostly oceanic, juveniles more confined to coastal areas. The head of the hammer head is five times as wide as it is long . The winghead, Eusphyra blochii, is the most extreme version of the type, with its head width averaging half the size of its body length. The Great Hammerhead is circumtropical in distribution, common in the tropical Indo-Pacific and Australia, but rare in the Eastern Pacific along the shores of North and South America. The Bonnethead, the smallest of the four is ranging from South Carolina to Peru in the East Pacific, and totally harmless to people. The Smooth and Scalloped Hammerheads are common to the East Pacific coast of North and South America. |
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The Bonnethead, the smallest of the four is ranging from South Carolina to Peru in the East Pacific, and totally harmless to people. The Smooth and Scalloped Hammerheads are common to the East Pacific coast of North and South America. Hammerheads show a great curiosity towards men, may eventually be approached very close(as close as 3-4 ft), but then turn away with indifference. The body is quite ordinary and could be any of one of several species, but no one could mistake its bizarre head - the lateral-shaped stalk with an eerie eye at each end. It is thought that the peculiar shape aids the shark's movement in the water, acting as a forward planing surface. The hammerhead is an extremely maneuverable creature. But no real logical explanation for the extreme body modifications of this species. |
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If the hammer-shaped head and separated eyes help the sharks's movements, they certainly hinder them as well. With the eyes located far apart on the stalk, the hammerhead shark much continually twist its head from side to side in order to see forward. Divers are able to identify an approaching hammerhead from this movement, even before the distinctive hammer-shape becomes visible. It had been assumed that sharks did not swim in schools, but the hammerhead has been seen swimming in school in various locations around the world. It still isn't really known why these sharks swim in schools. It could have to do with mating, yet there is no strong evidence of it as yet. |
SHARKS |
By Order and Family |
350 known species of sharks |
30 Different Shark Families |
8 Different Orders |
| ORDER SQUATINIFORMES | ORDER CHARCHARHINIFORMES | ||
| Family Squatiniformes.................................. | Angel Sharks | Family Proscylliidae........................................ | Finback Catsharks |
| ORDER PRISTIOPHORIFORMES | Family Sphyrnidae.......................................... | Hammerhead Sharks | |
| Family Pristiophoridae.................................. | Sawsharks | Family Hemigaleidae...................................... | Weasel Sharks |
| ORDER HEXANCHIFORMES | Family Scyliorhinidae..................................... | Catsharks | |
| Family Chalmydoselachidae........................... | Frilled Sharks | Family Pseudotriakidae..................................... | False Catsharks |
| Family Heterodontidae.................................. | Sixgill and Sevengill Sharks | Family Triakidae............................................. | Houndsharks |
| ORDER HETERODONTIFORMES | Family Leptochariidae...................................... | Barbled Houndsharks | |
| Family Heterodontidae.................................. | Bullhead Sharks | Family Carcharhinididae.................................... | Requiem Sharks |
| ORDER ORECTOLOBIFORMES | ORDER SQUALIFORMES | ||
| Family Orectolobidae................................ | Wobbegons | Family Squalidae.................................... | Dogfish Sharks |
| Family Parascylliidae................................ | Collared Carpet sharks | Family Oxynotidae................................. | Roughsharks |
| Family Brachaeluridae............................... | Blind Sharks | Family Echinorhinidae............................. | Bramble Sharks |
| Family Rhiniodontidae.............................. | Whale Sharks | ||
| Family Stegostomatidae............................ | Zebra Sharks | ||
| Family Ginglymostomatidae...................... | Nurse Sharks |
SEA-LIFE &MARINE JEWELRY
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Recommended Video | |
This is a must have video anyone interested in the undersea world. You will explore the coral reef like never before. Whether you're an avid diver, an armchair explorer, or just a little curious about the undersea world, Caribbean Reef Discovery will open your eyes to a whole new understanding of the amazing place called the Coral Reef. | |
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Last Updated, Sept1998
