Tag archives for Sharks
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It’s week five for the fishermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts and a new challenge has presented itself: the great white shark! On this season of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, a single Bluefin can be worth up to $20,000…making it hard for any of the captains to stay out of the water. Let’s check to see how…
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Mat meets up with Allan Marshall who runs biological operations at the Florida Aquarium. Allan wants a fresh take on an old exhibit and is interested in showcasing rarely seen deep sea fish. Mat knows of a submarine in the Caribbean and gets Allan excited for the unique adventure. Additionally, Mat has promised a repeat…
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Want sharks? Better serve chum. One of the most effective ways to draw sharks in for capture and research is chumming. Cage diving tours, researchers and fishermen use a bloody mixture of fish products dropped into the water to draw sharks in for catching and viewing. Chum is one of the most important tools on…
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© Africa Wildlife Films In South Africa’s False Bay, Cape Fur seals gather by the tens of thousands to escape the ocean’s largest predatory fish – the great white shark. Here at Seal Island, seals rest and breed between migrations into the rich fishing grounds beyond. But these seals must run a gauntlet of shark-infested…
Researchers often use technology to track the movements of animals. And although whale sharks are the planet’s largest living fish, relatively little is known about these ocean travelers. Tagging animals can help communicate key information about these unpredictable and mysterious marine giants – like distinct migration patterns, feeding behaviors and climate change responses. Not all tracking…
© NGT Written by Dr. Brady Barr, Dangerous Encounters: Eleanor Roosevelt once said that you should do one thing every day that scares you. Somedays are certainly bigger than others, and today was going to be a big one for me —though I had no idea going into it. From working around dangerous snakes to…
One of nature’s deadliest predators, the bull shark, can spend a lot of time in fresh water. They’ve been spotted swimming thousands of miles up the Amazon River and jumping river rapids in Nicaragua. The secret to this adaptation is their ability to retain salt inside their bodies – the bull shark’s kidneys and special gland…
Because whale sharks sometimes filter feed along the ocean’s surface, they are vulnerable to boat strikes. But determining how to protect a highly migratory species from vessel-related injuries is a challenging problem. Rafael de la Parra, Project Domino research coordinator and biologist, told me that whale sharks “swim slowly, filtering the plankton-rich seawater… so they are…
Just off the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula is the largest whale shark aggregation site in the world. And marine biologists are conducting regular aerial surveys of this feeding zone to document key information about these wild ocean travelers…. According to Dr. Alistair Dove, Senior Scientist at the Georgia Aquarium, aerial surveys compliment other…
While little is known about the world’s largest fish, most experts agree that whale sharks are usually solitary creatures. But each summer these amazing marine fish migrate great distances to select feeding aggregation sites. But how do they find food in the vast ocean? Chemical ecology studies may soon answer this puzzling question. Georgia Aquarium…
Normally a solitary species, whale sharks aggregate in the Gulf of Mexico each summer to filter feed on an abundance of fish eggs. Researchers are currently studying these eggs in an effort to promote whale shark conservation… Several times each year, the Georgia Aquarium whale shark research team does ‘plankton tows’ in Quintana Roo, and…
Spanning the Northern California coastline, the 135-mile Red Triangle area has had more documented white shark attacks than any similar location on the planet. But why has this beautiful place become a shark battleground? White sharks are massive, terrifying predators, weighing as much as two tons and growing up to 21 feet in length. But…
In the Womb: Extreme Animals premieres Sunday October 10 at 8P et/pt on Nat Geo Wild. Lemon Shark (Negaprion brevirostris) Gestation Length: About 1 year 1 month: The shark embryo is about the size of a little finger and is fed a constant supply of nutrients through its yolk sac. 3 months: The lemon shark…
Mireya tells us what it was like to visit the Gulf of Mexico and the damage the oil spill has done to the wildlife. Saved from the Spill premieres Tuesday October 5 at 9P et/pt on Nat Geo Wild.
For four months each year, thousands of whale sharks migrate to the Gulf of Mexico to feed on abundant food. And over the past several years, there have been sightings of whale sharks in the zone now devastated by the Deepwater Horizon oil blowout. As these waters are a critical whale shark feeding habitat during…
It’s shark vs. seal and in most cases I’m pretty understanding with the ‘circle of life’ and I know the cute and furry animal isn’t always going to win. Sharks have to kill, eat, and survive just like every other animal. But, when you put a baby seal up against a shark, how can you…
The legendary white shark can grow over twenty feet in length and weigh more than three thousand pounds. And as a study to promote the conservation of this endangered species, the Monterey Bay Aquarium periodically exhibits juvenile white sharks in their collection for public display. Many white sharks exhibited at the aquarium were incidental captures…
Like many people, I’m pretty terrified of sharks. And even though more people die every year from falling out of bed than from a shark attack, just the thought of their razor-sharp teeth sends a wave of bone chilling fear through my body. But a few weeks ago, I faced my fear and swam…
Miles from civilization, Dr. Enrich Sala leads a team of scientists along with resident explorer Mike Fay in search of ancient secrets and living treasure. An ecosystem virtually untouched and unchanged for over 200 years, these southern pacific reefs are full of coral, fish, and especially — sharks, most of which have never seen a human before. The…
Although a whale shark is the largest of all fish, this giant creature has small eyes in comparison to its size. So how well can they actually see? A whale shark’s eyes are located behind the angle of the jaw on its broad head. And while a whale shark lacks eyelids, it can close its…
The earth 4 billions years ago: Water does not exist — the earth is a gigantic mass of molten rock. Comets formed of ice and dust rain down on the earth. They bring with them water that immediately evaporates. When the projectiles from space become fewer, the earth forms a solid crust as the temperature…
More great white shark attacks are reported along the coast of California than any other place in the world. This 135 mile-stretch called The Red Triangle is the “Grand Central” for great white sharks. Shark Battleground: The Red Triangle airs on Nat Geo Wild Tuesday August 3 at 9P et/pt. Video Preview: In a tragic…
The adventure continues at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, where Dr. Domeier is one sperm sample away from proving great whites come here to breed. Earlier on the expedition, he collected seminal fluid from a great white for the first time, a 14-foot-5-inch male named Bite Face. If he can find live sperm in it, his theory…
One of Dr. Domeier and the Expedition Great White crew’s main goals is to solve the mystery of where great white sharks go to breed. On their third trip to Mexico’s Guadalupe Island, they may come close to the answer. Using advanced techniques that allow them to be selective in their shark-catching, they land a mature great…
Planet Carnivore delves into the cold waters of South Africa’s False Bay where a 2,000 lb great white shark called Haai, the Afrikaans word for shark, stalks her prey as she has done successfully for the past 15 years. In the False Bay neighborhood, there is one master rule: eat to live. Join us as…
