First on the list is the shark so infamous for its “menace” and “appetite” for human flesh: The Great White Shark

     When one conjurs up an image of a shark, the mind automatically register the unmistakable picture of the great white. Huge sleek torpedo shaped body, white below, gun-metal blue above. Pectoral fins shaped and funtion like an airplane wings. Crescent tail, lazyly swept side-to-side. An eluctable power, accentuated by the most notoriously feared mouth in nature. Just how notorious a great white pearly white’s are can be seen on the world’s response to the movie JAWS. Through the movie, sharks -great whites in particular- was further immortalize as a mammoth monster of the deep. Whose only intent is to search and kill humans if they venture in to deep in the water. These lead some people in a misguided intent of making the ocean “safe” for all to lunch a man-hunt for all shark species, irrevocalbly threatening the balance of nature. While some others –including myself- had come to respect and appreciate thecreature as it is:  A predator, beautiful, graceful, efficient and above all an integral member of the ocean food chain. I hope that after reading this article, you too would come to love if not respect this amazing fish and its kind.

Twenty-five years after JAWS tapped and hightened our primal fear of being eaten alive, allow me to de-demonize this “monster” by  clearing up misconceptions about the species.

MYTH:     Great white as they grow old. Losses their teeth  until eventually they could no longer hunt and die.

FACT:       Seriated, triangular sharper-than-knives set of teeth studded a great white jaw. That more than a century ago, gave this animal its scientific moniker: carcharodon carcharias or “ragged-tooth” as it roughly translates. What is more fascinating about their teeth are that they could have as many as ±3000 teeth at a time. You gotta be wondering if im pulling your leg or something right? Well the truth of the matter is, I am NOT. Sharks in general have rows of teeth much like a .38 caliber pistol. When they loss a  tooth, the one in the back instantly moves forward. Ever ready for that perfetct signature smile.

MYTH:     Great whites are anthropophagous (they eat people) by choice.

FACT:       Shark attack on humans are accident. The shark mistakes the human for its normal prey. This is supported by the fact that in most attack the shark spit out the hapless victim. Maybe sensing that we are not its normal prey. We are bony and meaty compared to its normal prey the blubber rich pinnipids. Since fat contain more energy than meat it mean, we have less energy to offer and thus is a poor food choice.

                    Tired of the scientific cliché you get about sharks? Think about this, if he really wanted to get you, you could never swim in the ocean.

MYTH:     Once a great white scented blood, it launched a feeding frenzy that inevitably lead to death.

FACT:      Three of every four great white shark attack victims survive, perhaps because the shark recognize that it has made a mistake and doesn’t return for a second bite.

                    What about those that died you might ask? Unfortunately fatalities are a fact but unknown for some is that most that died, die not because the shark consume them but rather due to blood loss, dismemberment, drowning or shock.

MYTH:      All sharks attack humans.

FACT:       Of all know species of sharks, only four attck human beings with any frequency: Bull shark, Tiger shark, Oceanic white tip shark and the Great whites.

MYTH:      There are thousands of great white sharks in the world.

FACT:       At the moment accepts about 375 different species but the numbers keep changing as new species are discovered.

                    But precise number of great white are unknown as the creature are very hard to track. What is known however is that great white naturally scarce are growing scarcer thanks to contact with man. Though  evidence are mostly anecdotal: Fishermen and naturalist are seeing fewer and fewer great whites. There is a growing consensus that they are not reproducing at a rate sufficient to maintain the population.

MYTH:    Great whites are invincible.

FACT:      In the words of Peter Benchley, author of the novel JAWS and co-writer of the movie, “…though they appear invincible, great whites with all their power, grace and manifest menace are remarkably fragile…”

                    Worldwide, numbers of great whites and sharks in general being slaughtered simply for their fins or what is know as finning (slicing the fins off sharks to sell in Asian markets, then tossing the still living animal overboard to die) has skyrocketed more tha 2000 percent since 1991. Together with turtles, dolphins and whales they too fall victim of longlines, trawls, and nets.

                    Their numbers have been so reduced at an alarming rate that some countries (South Africa, Nambia, Australia, Maldives and part of the US) protect them by law.

MYTH:    Great white attack boats.

FACT:      Their sensitive sensory systems detect movement, sounds and electricity fields in the water such as those caused by metal and motors. Thus, when they approach your boat, don’t freak out. They are merely coming to investigate. Granted that even the most delicate investigation by a toothy 3000 pound creature can make your hair stand on its end.

                    My advise:  Stay calm, turn the motor off and take a picture. Hey! Its not everyday a great white will drop by to say hello.

As I have tackled the most common misconceptions people have about the great white shark. I would wish to reitterate – great white sharks are predators. Occupying  the true apex and an integral part of the ocean food chain. They control the aquatic balance for millions of years, long before the dinosaurs existed. To remove them could bring cataclasmic consiquence on the natural cycle they control.

A wise man once said

 Join me next issue as we tackle a shark that rival the popularity of the great white – The gentle giant, Whale shark.

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subject title: underwater query