de Dios 1 Katrina Marie Ramos de Dios Ms.

Katrine Mendoza Independent Research Essay February 8, 2014 Sharks: The Reality Are sharks really that dangerous? Everyone you ask will say yes but do they really understand this from the point of view of a shark? No they probably don't. They probably see sharks the way everyone else does as man-eating monsters, but in reality humans are killing sharks like they killing everything for their own personal gain. People try to deny that fact, but many know\ its true. So look at this from the point of view a shark and clear the misconceptions, but first lets answer the question of what is a shark? Sharks are under the classification of fish, but there are differences that set them apart from fish. The skeleton of a shark is made up of cartilage. Sharks have 57 gill openings on each side while most fish only have a single opening on either side. Teeth that are replaced all of the time and tough skins are another difference sharks have that set them apart. So the difference between sharks and other fish are quite obvious. (Banister 4) Sharks have seven senses: Sight, touch, hearing, feeling pressure, smell, taste, and feeling electricity. Sight: Sharks have generally good eyesight. Some sharks even have a dark pigments that expand in bright light, acting like sunglasses. Touch and hearing: Sharks detect sound vibrations, which travel twice as fast in water as in air. Sharks are also sensitive to physical contact. Feeling pressure: The

de Dios 2 lateral line is a row of cells with tiny hairs. It runs from snout to tail along both sides of the body, and the hairs respond to vibrations and pressure changes in the water. Feeling electricity: Nerves tell muscles to move by sending electric signals. Tiny jelly filled pores called 'ampullae of Lorenzini', help sharks to detect signals. Smell: Water flows through the shark's nostrils bringing scent particles. Taste: The body of a shark is covered with taste buds. Between the denticles (tiny teeth on skin), are pits for the identification of food or non-food substances. Sharks brush against objects or organisms to test whether they can be classified as food or non-food substances. (Banister 6-7) Most sharks give birth to live pups. The embryos eat the egg sacs and once they have eaten the egg sacs they are born. Other sharks lay eggs, which often have tough coverings for protection. The mother shark leaves after assuring her eggs are safe. Some shark eggs are shaped like screws and are wedged in between rocky crevices. Others have strings, which the mother attaches to seaweed. Shark eggs are fertilized in the womb. Males use modified pelvic fins (claspers), to put sperm inside the female. Sharks lose their appetites when pups are born, so that they do not eat their young. (Banister 8-9) Most sharks live in warm waters, whilst some live only where water is cooler. Some sharks live in the darkness of the deep because they can glow ex. Lantern sharks. Others like cookie cutter sharks are attracted to electrical undersea cables, even damaging them. (Banister 11) There are around 375 species of shark, and these 375 are divided into to 8 orders. Squatiniformes: These are categorized as flat, bottom living sharks, for

de Dios 3 example Angel sharks, Saw sharks, Cow sharks, Dogfish sharks, Ground sharks, Mackarel sharks, Carpet fish, Bullhead sharks. (Banister 4-5) The Megalodon: The supposedly extinct species of shark was the terror of its era. This species lived more than 20 million years ago. Remains suggest that this giant shark reached a maximum length of 1418 meters (4659 ft.). Megalodon teeth can measure up to 180 millimeters (or 7.1 in.) in diagonal length, this being the largest in all of shark species. Scientists believe that the Megalodon was a formidable carnivore to have ever existed, due to its great size, high speed swimming capability and powerful jaws. Through research scientists have found that a Megalodon's diet consisted of dolphins, small whale, big whale (like sperm whale), pinnipeds, porpoises, and giant sea turtles. It was at the top of the food chain. (www.flmnh.ufl.edu) Whale Sharks versus Great Whites: When we think of great white sharks we think man eating monsters, while on the other hand when we think of whale sharks we think gentle giants. The great white shark is far more frightening in our imagination than in reality. Though the more research is taken the less we see them as monsters. According to National Geographic "Of the 100 plus annual shark attacks world wide, fully one third to one half are attributed to great whites." According to research great whites are naturally curious and just take sample bites then release their victims. So scientists have concluded that humans are not on the great white's menu. (www.nationalgeographic.com) Great White sharks: These are the largest predatory fish on earth. Average length is 15 ft. (4.6 m.), some though have been found to exceed 20 ft. (6 m.) and weigh up to 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kg.) have been recorded. Their upper bodies are slate-

de Dios 4 gray so as to blend in with rock. They have white underbellies, thus getting their name "Great White". They are torpedo shaped swimmers that can propel them selves up to 15 mi. (24 km.) per hr. Their mouths are lined with up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in several rows. They usually eat sea lions, seals, small toothed whales, and even sea turtles and carrion. Found in cool, coastal waters. Now labeled endangered. A normal feeding event comprises of a Great White shark pursuing, capturing and consuming a known natural prey such as a fish or seal. Along the Pacific Coast feeding on dead whales by white shark in not infrequently observed. Baiting or chumming is not a form of predation. (www.nationalgeographic.com) Whale sharks: On the other hand are broad, flat-headed, have short snots and a huge transverse, terminal mouth almost as wide as a double bed. The shark has prominent lateral ridges. It has a checkerboard pattern of yellow or white stripes and spots on grey, bluish or greenish-brown back. At birth, the shark is 1.8-2.1 ft.in length. Males mature at over 19.7 ft., while females mature at more than 26.2 ft. Its maximum length is possibly between 55.8-68.9 ft. They are called gentle giants because they are placid in nature. They have the status of largest shark alive today, discovered. Whale sharks can be found in pelagic, open-ocean to close off beaches, coral reefs and islands, and surface to more than 2,500 ft. Tropical and warm temperate seas except the Mediterranean. (www.nationalgeographic.com) They are both sharks, yet one is loved the other feared. If Whale sharks had gotten the same bad publicity the human race would fear these gentle giants. The Great Whites are beautiful and naturally curious creatures that are misunderstood and feared. Is there really a difference between the two?

de Dios 5 Humans are persistently moving into shark territory, but humans still blame sharks for destroying boats, surf boards, and are in shock when attacks are reported. There are many theories as to why sharks attack humans. Mistaken Identity: As Great Whites have a keen sense of sight; it is believed that they perceive the silhouette of a surfer paddling on the surface of the ocean as that of a turtle or seal. Curiosity: Biting is a sensory activity for sharks, as it helps them identify the object in their mouths, like human hands. They possibly bite humans to find out what we are. They like the taste of human meat: This is the most common misconception though. If sharks did like the taste of humans and included us in their food chain, many more humans would have been attacked along with an increase in fatalities. Humans in shark habitat: Sharks only have the water, while humans can go wherever they want to go. Therefore, it really is not fair at all to blame sharks when humans invade their territory. They are large and scary but they are not out to eat humans. Very few are a threat to humans in any form. It is also important to remember that they are a big part of the balance of the food chain in regards to aquatic life. (www.flmnh.ufl.edu) The future of humans and sharks is one that remains uncertain. There are many elements between sharks and humans that are the same like the immune system. Humans though think that there are no similarities. (www.telegraph.co.uk) It is important to understand the methods of shark attraction (baiting, chumming, and feeding) to understand how they impact shark behavior. Of those that do feed, responsible operators create very controlled feeding procedures during which the sharks are given a small amount of food. People who are unfamiliar with shark diving often have the misconception that shark diving operations engage in what they refer to as "uncontrolled feeding". (www.defenders.org)

de Dios 6 Many people question whether or not shark diving is safe. In the U.S. alone, risk of drowning is approximately 3,000 times greater than the possibility of dying due to a shark attack, and the fatalities from a boating accident 300 times greater. Shark incidents are extremely rare and those incidents rarely result in death. Shark bites happen, but are infrequent and there are a variety of theories regarding why sharks bite, ranging from defensive posturing, to curiosity, to competition, to mistaken identity. given the advanced predatory skills of sharks, if humans were perceived as a food source, there would be almost as many fatalities as there are shark incidents, and even more incidents. (sharkangels.org) Typical shark attacks occur because of a territorial threat or disturbance. Other times it is because humans provoke them for example spear fishing or ecotourism. Among these attacks few sharks will attack. (www.sharkresearchcommittee.com) Sharks are not man-eaters. It is a proven shark can go for months without food so that is not the case. They are not looking for humans to eat. They also are not programmed to kill humans out of aggression. There are very few shark attacks, less than 100 each year. Less than 10% die when the shark could easily kill them, but the shark lets go when it realizes it is not what it thought it was. (www.sharkresearchcomittee.com) Most sharks are too small to be vicious killers of humans, while others live in the deep where humans do not swim. Even elephants, dogs, and vending machines are more dangerous and have killed more people. (abetterfishstory.com) In a regular shark attack, a human is approached by a shark, which gently circles or slowly swims past the human without any physical contact. Divers describe

de Dios 7 this as "being checked-out by a shark". There are times though where in a shark will attack with out a reason. In an unprovoked attack, a shark aggressively pursues or strikes a human without aggravation or unpleasant gestures on the part of the human. Any physical contact between a shark and human, or piece of equipment being used in an ocean activity by the human, constitutes an unprovoked shark attack. (voices.yahoo.com) The greatest enemy of a shark is man. Humans are not natural predators of sharks; because sharks were only fished at the time humans became civilized. Some shark species are adapted to eat other sharks. An example being a bull shark. The most numerous natural enemies of sharks are the various parasites that can kill a shark if they get out of hand. (De Maddalena) The top 4 misconceptions humans have about sharks: 1. All sharks are dangerous to human beings. Most sharks live deep in the deep, cool waters of the oceans, seldom come anywhere near the coastline. 80% of the shark species either cannot or will not harm a human, even when given an opportunity. 2.Sharks will hunt and kill anything. It takes a large amount of energy for a shark to hunt and kill prey. This energy would be used better for maintaining body temperature. Sharks will only attack what they believe is desirable prey. Sharks also prefer specific species. 3. Sharks are difficult to kill. Sharks are hesitant to approach people or boats afraid if their only real predators. Stress weakens sharks to such an extent that many die in a net or the end of a fishing rod. 4. Sharks are unintelligent. Understanding a little more about these creatures is the first step to valuing their important contribution to marine environments. (Du Plessis)

de Dios 8 When Jaws showed in 1975 it kept thousands away from the ocean for decades. People hated sharks even more than before. Many people decided that if they killed sharks they would be saving someone from a brutal death, but Robert Benchley said that now he could not possibly write Jaws in the present. He could not turn a beautiful beast into villain. However the bad publicity is still present through video games, which encourage the player to kill sharks. (Choi) Finning is a practice where the fins are sliced off and used mainly for the Chinese delicacy, shark fin soup. The sharks are caught and only their fins are hacked off. Then they are thrown back into the sea to die. People have formed many misconceptions about sharks. Recently shark experts have written many accounts to dismiss these misunderstandings, for example, one shark was cut open and the following contents were revealed; four old beer cans, one large monk fish, numerous small squid, one eagle ray, the lower portion of a moray eel, a glass, one badly worn woman's shoe, bones, a leather glove, and a shark hook. If a human invades and disturbs a shark's habitat, the shark may attack. However, for in the overwhelming majority of meetings the sharks just cruise past. It has long been thought that sharks need a continuous flow of water against their gills for oxygen supply. We know now that some sharks gather in dormitory caves where influxes of fresh water occur, and they rest or sleep. (1MikeMcdonald)

One group of divers studied extensively the sharks resting in the caves near LaPunta, Mexico. They noticed the shark would lie there pumping water over its gills, rather then swimming around. After much research, the divers decided the water in the caves is different then the water in the open seas. The water contained above normal amounts of oxygen, lower salinity and higher acidity and carbon dioxide than

de Dios 9 water outside the cave. They concluded the sharks experienced some kind of pleasure stimulation from the caves and actually might get "high", like humans are affected by alcohol and marijuana. (voices.yahoo.com)

The divers also observed these sharks are much cleaner then other sharks. All sharks have a small slave, a remora, which sucks it clean. It was discovered that the remora went in and out of each gill opening while the shark slept. The remora then continued to move all over the shark, cleaning as it went along. It was concluded these caves could be cleaning stations for sharks. One diver commented on how clean these sharks were. These divers say they have seen many different species of sharks in a sleep like state. It is felt the more the ocean is studied the more shark dormitories will be found. (voices.yahoo.com)

Another long-held misconception is that all sharks are mindless creatures with limited intelligence. It can be shown that sharks have sophisticated brains and body systems. They can retain knowledge and have a complex system of hearing, sight, smell, and electro senses. (voices.yahoo.com)

A famous experiment was concerned with the training of captive sharks to ring a bell for food. This experiment proved sharks cannot only be trained, but learned quickly. Dr. Aronson, an expert in animal psychology, placed a target in some water and trained a shark to take food from the target in such a way that the shark would bump its nose and ring a bell. The shark quickly became conditioned to associate the target with food and to press the target and ring the bell even when the food was no longer presented with the target. For the so-called "lowly shark" this was an accomplishment. (voices.yahoo.com)

de Dios 10 Sharks are also thought to have poor sense of sight. The same sharks that rang bells were tested for color-blindness. The targets were painted yellow instead of white. The sharks acted strangely and would never go near the target again. In addition to color, they were trained to discriminate shape. Triangles and square targets were put in the end of their tank. The sharks were given an electric shock when they bumped the triangle shape. The squares gave off no shock. In a short time the sharks avoided the sight of the triangles even without the shocks. They were not afraid of the squares. The previous examples show that vision plays an important part in the behavior of sharks. (voices.yahoo.com) Besides the eyes, other components make up the shark's elaborate sensory system. Hearing is well developed and sharks can pick up low-frequency noises unheard by man. In an experiment the sounds of an injured fish were put on a tape and played off the coast of Florida. From a plane, scientists watched sharks stop what they were doing and home on the sound. Many came from three hundred yards or more to investigate. However, the sharks did not attack the tape, which shows other senses are involved in locating prey. (voices.yahoo.com)

Experiments have shown that sharks can smell prey from great distances. Shark experts have put a bleeding fish on a line and hung it in the water. A shark will move quickly for the kill. The sacs in their nostrils are very sensitive and constantly "testing" the water for odors. It takes a thousandth of a second for the shark's sense of smell to react to stimuli. (voices.yahoo.com)

In addition to these previous senses, the shark has a sensory power involving electricity. This system is used in connection with the earth's magnetic field. It is like a short-range radar used to find fish that are camouflaged or hidden. Scientists

de Dios 11 have found that when a shark attacks an inanimate object, such as a boat or shark cage, it is due to a mix up in electrical signals. Under ordinary conditions, the shark makes extraordinary effective use of its whole elaborate and interconnecting sensory system. It is not the primitive creature that people view it as. (voices.yahoo.com) Sharks should be respected and not feared. Sharks differ from the bony fishes in that they have a cartilaginous skeleton, and lack a swim bladder. Like most top predators, sharks feed on the sick and weak, thereby keeping the schools of fish on which they feed healthy. Although it has long been said, "The only good shark is a dead one," sharks have a very important role in the ocean ecosystem, and they most certainly are not better of dead. The shortsighted view of the ocean ecosystem is dangerous; a shortage of sharks could be a disastrous to the health of ocean food chains, including the ones humans use as food source. 5 reasons to revere not fear sharks: 1. Respect your elders. Sharks have a long and impressive lineage. Ancient sharks were cruising the ocean 400 million years ago, long before dinosaurs roamed the land. Relatives of the great white shark like the Megalodon evolved more than 20 million years ago. 2. The tables are turned. Every year, humans kill an estimated 70 million sharks. The threats we pose are many. Illegal poaching and hunting; selling shark fins soup and sport fishing for shark-jaw trophies. Sharks have more reason to fear humans then the other way around. 3. Nothing to fear itself. While shark attacks occur, they are actually extremely rare. In fact the chances of being a victim of a shark attack are lower than getting struck by lightning. 4. Risky behavior. Its not just traumatic events that can help put the danger of shark attacks in perspective. Things we encounter every day often pose a greater danger. 5. Kings of the food chain. Sharks are the top predators, keeping populations of prey species in check. Sharks keep the ecosystem balanced. (ocean.si.edu)

de Dios 12 Humans should change their public view. Scientists and doctors benefit mankind by studying sharks. At the Marine Lab in Florida, scientists use sharks in research in the study of immunology, virology and human psychology. At the University of Miami, School of Medicine, scientists believe sharks are resistant to cancer, heart disease and other human ailments. Doctors also study the sharks blood, livers, brains, and gills to find out how to detoxify cancer-producing agents in their blood. Research programs are studying the effect of sharks on the rest of the ocean life. All these people are trying to change the publics view of sharks. (voices.yahoo.com)

de Dios 13 Works Cited: Banister, Keith. A Unique Visual Reference: A LOOK INSIDE SHARKS and RAYS: Westport: Joshua Morris Publishing Inc., 1995. Print. "Great White Sharks-Shark Pictures-Great White Facts" National Geographic, 2013, Web, 6 August 2013. "Facts and Information about Sharks" Sharks World, BioExpedition, Web, 6 August 2013. "Humans vs. Sharks" Library Think Quest, Web, 6 August 2013. "Unprovoked White Shark Attacks on Surfer" Shark Research Committee, Web, 6 August 2013. Yates, Jeanne. "Sharks; A Misunderstood Sea Creature" Yahoo, September 30, 2009, Web, 6 August 2013. <http://voices.yahoo.com/sharks-misunderstood-seacreature-4544367.html?cat=44> "Debunking Myths About Shark Diving" Shark Angel, 2011, Web, 6 August 2013. "NOVA Online| Island of the Sharks| Exploding Myths" NOVA, June 2002, Web, 6 August 2013. The Wonders of the Seas: Sharks" Oceanic Research, SciLinks, Web, 6 August 2013. Hile, Jennifer. "Great White Shark Attacks: Defanging the Myths" National Geographic, January 23, 2004, Web, 6 August 2013. "Myths and Truths About Shark" Alert Diver Online, 2013, Web, 6 August 2013.

de Dios 14 Du Plessis, Amelia. "Popular Misconceptions" Sharks Info, Web, 6 August 2013. ADMIN. "Busting the 5 biggest Misconceptions About Sharks" A Better Fish Story, January 12, 2013, Web, 6 August 2013. Viegas, Jennifer. "Sharks Myths: Discovery Channel" Discovery, Web, 6 August 2013. "Global Shark Attack File" Global Shark Attack File, 2012, Web, 6 August 2013. "The Shark Research Institute" The Shark Research Institute, Web, 6 August 2013. "5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark| Smithsonian Ocean Portal" Ocean Portal, Web, 6 August 2013. "Shark Attack Questions" Ichthyology, Web, 6 August 2013. "Shark brains 'similar to those of humans'- Telegraph" The Telegraph, October 30, 2012, Web, 6 August 2013. "Basic Facts About Sharks" Defenders of Wildlife, 2013, Web, 6 August 2013. "White Shark Facts" California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Web, 6 August 2013. Choi, Charles Q. "How 'Jaws' Forever Changed our view of Great White Sharks" Live Science, 2010, Web, 6 August 2013. De Maddalena, Alessandro. "Sharks: Dangerous or Endangered?" World and I, 2003, Web, 6 August 2013. 1MikeMcdonald. "Sharks dangerous or endangered?" YouTube, May 17, 2011, Web, 6 August 2013. "100 Facts about Sharks" Discovery, Web, 6 August 2013

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