A tale of mistaken identity: the ragged tooth shark (Carcharias taurus, Rafinesque 1810) and the story behind a misunderstood creature T. Ngcongwane, Dept. of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State: QwaQwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba, Kestell Road, 9999 (+27)79 964 7598 2010141469@ufs4life.ac.za Introduction “Shark! There’s a shark in the water!” Possibly one of the scariest phrases you will ever encounter when out on the beach for a tan or walk. That fearsome predator that has got people cowering in their swimsuits and leaving surfboards at home; it really does have a hold on humans. But it really never was like this...until a certain movie director decided to make a movie about sharks. This we’ll discuss later on in the essay. But undoubtedly one of the greatest animals on the planet, and some of the oceans’ foremost predators, sharks have been an oceanic force dating back to the Silurian Era (SharkSavers 2014) and haven’t looked back since. That’s over 400 million years ago! Not only do they keep ecosystems in check and control prey numbers from population booms (Griffith et al 2008), but also balance out the food chains in the ocean; making for a healthy ecosystems. And one such shark is the ragged tooth shark (grey nurse shark, sand tiger shark), scientifically known as Carcharias taurus. With the looks of a terrifying horror monster movie and a reputation of being one, the ragged tooth shark (raggy) is a firm-favourite in aquaria across the world, due to its ability to survive well in captivity, as well as being a tourist attraction in parts of Australia (Barker et al 2011). While the raggy is supposedly dangerous, it is in fact a docile creature and this essay will explore the reasons why the raggy, and al... ... middle of paper ... ...harias Taurus, Rafinesque 1810) in New South Wales, Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 6: 1-20. RITTER, E.K. 2000. Sand Tiger Sharks. In: GODNECKT, A.J., GUEX, G.D. AND KINDLIMANN, R.J. (Eds.): SharkInfo. http://www.sharkinfo.ch/index_e.html (As accessed on 8 May 2014). SHARKSAVERS. 2014. 450 million years of sharks. http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/biology/450-million-years-of-sharks1/. (As accessed on 12 May 2014) SMALE, M.J., BOOTH, A.J., FARQUHAR, M.R., MEŸER, M.R. AND ROCHAT, L. 2012. Migration and habitat use of formerly captive and wild ragged tooth sharks (Carcharias taurus) on the southeast coast of South Africa. Marine Biology Research 8 (2): 115-128. TWO OCEANS AQUARIUM. 2014. Ragged-tooth shark – Exhibition. http://www.aquarium.co.za/species_exhibits/browse_species/ragged-tooth_shark/. (As accessed on 5 May 2014)
Shark nets have been implemented in locations across the world in response to shark sightings and attacks. Nets are submerged beneath the surface of the water, roughly 200 metres from the shoreline. The meshing is designed to be large to capture sharks, leaving them to struggle before eventually drowning under the weight of their own body. The meshing allows small fish to pass through, however captures larger fish and marine species. Shark nets provide no discrimination between common, vulnerable and endangered species, resulting in a high mortality rate for a variety of marine wildlife.
Throughout the film there are many experts about the ocean and the animals that live in it. Researcher Ritter the misconception of the shark’s species is blown out of proportion by the media, which is why sharks have such an awful reputation. Experts touch up on this subject adding how even one of the biggest movies Jaws is a very large portion from where people get their fears from or it could be from all of the “shark attacks” on the news. Rob discusses how at the rate we are going we can destroy all of the food chains in the marine ecosystem, and this is where most of our oxygen comes from. Throughout the film experts Rob Stewart and Paul Watson are trying to get long lining banned in Costa Rica. Paul makes a really interesting point saying how the biggest problem is that we do not understand what we are and we are just a bunch of “conceited naked apes” that are out of
The Carcharhinus leucas commonly called the "bull shark" is a very unique shark. The bull shark can live in both salt water and fresh water but is commonly found along the Mississippi River and around Nicaragua. The bull sharks has a very blunt rounded nose giving it a bullish type of appearance thus giving it the name bull shark. The sharks are a dark black to a light grey with a white underbelly. Bull sharks can grow to be about 350 cm long and weigh around 230 kilograms. Bull sharks also tend to have smaller eyes compared to many other sharks which indicates that the bull sharks have limited vision. The bull sharks have triangular teeth like the great white shark (one of the bull sharks cousins). The bulls teeth are heavily serrated and are about 1.5 inches long which makes it easy to tear apart the flesh of their prey.
This image is what a majority of people believe to be the shark. They believe it to be the bloodthirsty sea monster that appears in countless works of literature and films, but science says otherwise. The classic picture painted by the minds of sailors returning from years at sea come from imagination and sharks’ violent methods of hunting and mating. Sharks fear humans as much as humans fear sharks, and most sharks, particularly the “man-eating” great whites, only bite humans because they mistake surfers for seals. In earlier times, the ocean was a source of mystery and adventur...
The Great Shark debate – to cull or not to cull, has been at the forefront of the minds of conservationists, as well as the general population for many decades now. The opinions of everyone are divided, according to their personal experiences, and views on what is right and wrong for the environment.
Shark slaughter has led to shark populations being rapidly decimated all around the globe. Fishermen report that sharks are also getting smaller because they are not being given enough time to fully mature. Although there are other fish that are targeted more than sharks, they are not exactly affected by the kind of endangerment that sharks are currently experiencin...
Beginning with the simplest one-celled organism, an extraordinary animal rose in the murky waters entitled to a non-comparable killing-eating machine. This organism has become nature’s most genuine and most successful creature that it has remained unchanged for over 250 million years. Nature finally invented the perfect king of the sea. This animal has given the sea it’s “living” adjective; in turn, it was entitled—the “great white shark.”
In 2015 only 59 shark attacks have occurred around the world compared to the millions of sharks killed by humans every year. Due to these accidental shark attacks people tend to think that sharks, especially Great Whites are evil creatures with malice intentions when attacks do occur; but, on the contrary that is wrong. Sharks are not the only beautiful and unique creatures in the ocean, they also play a vital role in our ecosystem; however, due to human interference they might not be around much longer, through awareness sharks can be protected from endangerment.
Thesis: Sharks should be conserved because they are an important part of the ocean, attacks are often incidental, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.
Most people think that sharks are large, fast-swimmers, and savage predators. This is true of some species and groups should be interested of the appealing aspects of biology found within it: all sharks have an excellent sense of smell; some can detect electrical discharges; some sharks give birth to one of the
Parrotfishes are the common name for members of the large fish family Scaridae, which live in coral reef ecosystems throughout the Caribbean as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. They vary in color and pattern between males, females and juveniles, with each going through a variety of color changes as they mature (Polychromatism). (Jamaica Environment Trust, 2013) “There are about eighty identified species, ranging in size from less than one to four feet in length.” (National Geographic Society, 2013). Powerful jaws of fused teeth “beaks”, and bright colors gives Parrotfish their common family name. This paper seeks to describe the diversity, geographic range, habitat, physical description, development, reproduction, lifespan, behavior, food habits, predation and threats to Parrotfish. Additionally, this paper will examine the importance of this species to the coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean.
Rowat, D., and K. S. Brooks. 2012. A review of the biology, fisheries and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus. Jour. Of. Fish. Bio. 80:1019-1056. (DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03252.x).
The Land Shark Index Page. Anti-Vivisection Index. March 1995. The Land Shark.
One particularly interesting sea creature is the whale shark, formally known as Rhincondon typus it was first discovered in 1828 by Andrew Smith (Rowat 2012). This large fish is found globally in warm tropical oceans and prefers to stay within 200 meters of the ocean’s surface in waters ranging from 4.2 to 28.7 degrees Celsius (Stevens 2006). This creature can be found all across the globe in any warm tropical seas. Aggregations of whale sharks have been seen off the coast of Australia at times, although it is primarily a creature of solitude. Whale sharks are filter feeders that consume plankton as well as small fish and are harmless to humans. The whale shark is a species with a fascinating ecology, life history, behavior, anatomy