Catching the Big Fish, by Meghan

And boy, do I mean big fish. The Whale Shark is the largest living fish species in the world. The largest specimen ever caught was 41.5 feet long, though stories exist of Whale Sharks close to 60 feet long. That is a BIG fish!






Don't worry though, kids; these guys are filter feeders, so no need to fear for your limbs.

Freshwater Sharks, by Meghan

Though we like to think of sharks as ocean-dwellers, there are some sharks that can survive in freshwater, like the testosterone-fueled Bull Shark. Many experts consider Bull Sharks to be the most dangerous sharks in the world, and they are one of three shark species most likely to attack humans.




Yeah, and these little puppies can live in freshwater. They have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River to hang out in Peru. Wow.

Happy Shark Week!

Nerds love sharks. Hell, even non-nerds love sharks! Why? Because they are awesome.

Dating back to more than 420 million years ago (yeah, that's right, before dinosaurs), there are now 440 known species of sharks, with at least one species found in each of the world's seas. The smallest known shark is the dwarf lanternshark; at its largest it is only 6.7 inches long. The Whale shark, at the other end of the spectrum, is the largest fish in the world, growing up to almost 40 feet long.

Little guy:


Big guy:


Yep, sharks are so awesome that the Discovery Channel dedicates a whole week to them: Shark Week!!! (Sidenote: the Discovery Channel itself is pretty awesome.) With so many great shows about sharks, it could be hard to choose which one to write about here, but for me, the choice was pretty simple.

My favorite shark species is the Great White. They seriously blow my mind. Who needs fictional monsters with these guys around?


Weighing (on average) 1800-2400 lbs and reaching lengths of more than 20 feet, we're talking massive predators here. Now, imagine these guys flying 10 to 15 feet out of the ocean. Seems impossible, right? Oh my friend, you would be wrong.



Haha, just kidding. But really this time:



See how easy it is to choose a shark show? Pick the one with the flying sharks. Like Ultimate Air Jaws, in which "World-renowned shark photographer Chris Fallows uses high-tech cameras to track the incredible agility and velocity of Air Jaws, a flying great white shark. The expedition reveals these sharks spend a lot of time near tourists in South Africa."

This is Shark Week's third Air Jaws special (check out Air Jaws and Air Jaws 2: Even Higher), and they just keep getting better. Using a Hollywood special effects camera that can slow down images up to 40 percent, Ultimate Air Jaws shows spectacular footage of this beautiful, terrifying hunting strategy.

Beginning in the deep, sharks monitor the surface above and launch like a missile when suitable prey enters their range. Reaching speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, these 1 ton fish can launch themselves fully out of the water, up to 15 feet into the air. They are hunting Cape Fur Seals, and though the attack seems like an impossibly fatal blow, the seals have roughly a 50% chance of survival, relying solely on the pressure wave created by the approaching shark to give an advance warning. The population of seals at the False Bay seal island averages around 60,000, and only 600-800 seals fall victim to these shark attacks; approximately 1% of the population.

In Ultimate Air Jaws, not only do you get to see amazing footage of these incredible attacks, but you also get to see the crazy shit that this guy does to get these shots. Seriously, this guy is nuts! I want to marry him.


So, shark nerds and non-nerds alike, tune in to the Discovery Channel to check out Ultimate Air Jaws and the other AMAZING shows that Shark Week has to offer. HAPPY SHARK WEEK!!

Sharks: Part One, by Meghan

It is not a lie that sharks "fall asleep" (quotations necessary) when they are turned over on their backs. For several species of sharks, being inverted puts the shark into Tonic Immobility," an "unlearned behavioral response characterized by a state of immobility and torpor." "Tonic immobility can be induced by various procedures which place the subject in an 'unnatural' posture or situation, which has the effect of altering the usual course of its sensorimotor and emotional interchanges with its environment" (http://www.springerlink.com/content/hv211n88926r5563/fulltext.pdf?page=1). Studies were originally completed on Lemon sharks, but later studies proved a similar response in Tiger, Great White, and Smooth Dogfish sharks as well.

So, if you place a shark in an "unnatural posture or situation," its senses are flooded and it will drop into a catatonic state.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?

I know, it may sound like a lie (it did to my friends, thus inspiring the title for this blog) but I swear to you on all of my Harry Potter paraphernalia that I am telling the truth. Check it out here. This crazy awesome guy uses the tiny electromagnetic pulses created by the metal glove in the salt water to overload the senses of this shark and perform this incredible feat:



Marine biologists, such as the one you just saw, use tonic immobility as part of their research methods to place various tracking devices on the sharks. And humans are not the only ones to use this insane biological response to achieve their purposes; Orcas have also learned of the benefits of tonic immobility. Often in their hunting of Mako and Great White sharks, the Orcas will work to invert the shark, cutting off its ability to fight back, and allowing them to feed.


Did you just say "Whaaaaaaat" again? I thought you might. Yes, yes, tonic immobility seems impossible, but alas, nothing is impossible here on liesaboutsharks.