Roy Schneider would be proud.
December 28, 2008 10:19 PM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Self-link. -- cortex
The second (Liveleak) link was pretty awesome. White sharks are intelligent, curious animals. It's too bad that they have sensory nerves in their teeth, and satiate their curiosity by gently nibbling whatever strikes their fancy.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:31 PM on December 28, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by KokuRyu at 10:31 PM on December 28, 2008 [1 favorite]
I kind of want to call fake on that first one for a very strange reason. I really like the Jaws movies and as much as I love sharks, I love the "symbol" of just a shark fin even more. I don't know why. Something about just that triangle streaking through the water.
And every shark special I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them) has only had a great white's fin cutting the water for about a moment. Or the fish's entire back is exposed. Never had I seen that much fin and only fin as in that surfing video.
And it's Roy Scheider, no "N".
posted by Brainy at 10:35 PM on December 28, 2008
And every shark special I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of them) has only had a great white's fin cutting the water for about a moment. Or the fish's entire back is exposed. Never had I seen that much fin and only fin as in that surfing video.
And it's Roy Scheider, no "N".
posted by Brainy at 10:35 PM on December 28, 2008
What's the word for someone who would intentionally hook a shark just to get towed around on his surfboard for the lulz? I'm thinking "douchenozzle" but that doesn't seem to cover it. "Breakfast," maybe, eventually, hopefully.
posted by maxwelton at 10:37 PM on December 28, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 10:37 PM on December 28, 2008 [3 favorites]
dammit. Thanks Brainy, knew I should have looked that up.
posted by jwakawaka at 10:57 PM on December 28, 2008
posted by jwakawaka at 10:57 PM on December 28, 2008
Father-of three Brian Guest, 51, who had campaigned for many years for the protection of sharks, had been looking for crabs on yesterday morning with his 24-year-old son when he was attacked about 30 metres from the shore.
Coldchef with the dramatic save.
posted by humannaire at 11:19 PM on December 28, 2008 [1 favorite]
Coldchef with the dramatic save.
posted by humannaire at 11:19 PM on December 28, 2008 [1 favorite]
From ColdChef's link:
Brian Guest wrote on the Western Angler website forum in 2004: "I have always had an understanding with my wife that if a shark or ocean accident caused my death then so be it, at least it was doing what I wanted. Every surfer, fisherman and diver has far more chance of being killed by bees, drunk drivers, teenage car thieves and lightning. Every death is a tragedy – regardless of the cause – but we have no greater claim to use of this earth than any of the other creatures [we] share it with."
I have never understood why the animal is so often hunted down and killed too. If I get eaten by a shark or crocodile or lion please don't kill it.
posted by gomichild at 1:38 AM on December 29, 2008
Brian Guest wrote on the Western Angler website forum in 2004: "I have always had an understanding with my wife that if a shark or ocean accident caused my death then so be it, at least it was doing what I wanted. Every surfer, fisherman and diver has far more chance of being killed by bees, drunk drivers, teenage car thieves and lightning. Every death is a tragedy – regardless of the cause – but we have no greater claim to use of this earth than any of the other creatures [we] share it with."
I have never understood why the animal is so often hunted down and killed too. If I get eaten by a shark or crocodile or lion please don't kill it.
posted by gomichild at 1:38 AM on December 29, 2008
I’ve had a few shark encounters on my kayak, never a great white though. The worst that seems to happen is they poke your boat with their nose and move on, curiosity satisfied. Of course when this happens ten miles off the coast it can be a little unnerving.
posted by Tenuki at 1:51 AM on December 29, 2008
posted by Tenuki at 1:51 AM on December 29, 2008
The attack ColdChef mentions is the 2nd white pointer attack death in my city of abode this past decade.
Plus a ridiculously ridiculously close call in 1997. Plus numerous other sightings.
Surely this makes Perth WHITE POINTER DEATH CENTRAL?
/If I was editor of a trashy tabloid, such as The West Australian newspaper.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 1:55 AM on December 29, 2008
Plus a ridiculously ridiculously close call in 1997. Plus numerous other sightings.
Surely this makes Perth WHITE POINTER DEATH CENTRAL?
/If I was editor of a trashy tabloid, such as The West Australian newspaper.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 1:55 AM on December 29, 2008
Also I call fake on the first video for a few reasons:
- Watch a few vids on shark attacking bait on rope on YouTube and you'll see that they often turn and take a few runs at any food ooffered, yet the shark in the video takes it immediately and goes straight along the shore.
- A White Pointer would be more likely to attack the surfboard before a couple of chunks of meat on a fishing line. Not to mention all the other people in the water at the time. That must have been VERY tasty meat on that fishing line.
- Why wasn't his arm ripped out of the socket when the huge shark pulled it?
- That jetty appears to be on extremely high pylons. Make me suspicious of the depth of the water.
- I grew up near the beach in South Australia. The beach would have been cleared if a shark of that size appeared so close to shore. I'm sure that happens in other places. Note also all the other people were not screaming and flailing at the huge shark coming near them.
- Also what Brainy said - too much fin for too long.
On the other hand while checking on some facts I came across this rather awesome time lapse video of someone illustrating a shark in Photoshop. So it's not a total loss.
posted by gomichild at 2:06 AM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
- Watch a few vids on shark attacking bait on rope on YouTube and you'll see that they often turn and take a few runs at any food ooffered, yet the shark in the video takes it immediately and goes straight along the shore.
- A White Pointer would be more likely to attack the surfboard before a couple of chunks of meat on a fishing line. Not to mention all the other people in the water at the time. That must have been VERY tasty meat on that fishing line.
- Why wasn't his arm ripped out of the socket when the huge shark pulled it?
- That jetty appears to be on extremely high pylons. Make me suspicious of the depth of the water.
- I grew up near the beach in South Australia. The beach would have been cleared if a shark of that size appeared so close to shore. I'm sure that happens in other places. Note also all the other people were not screaming and flailing at the huge shark coming near them.
- Also what Brainy said - too much fin for too long.
On the other hand while checking on some facts I came across this rather awesome time lapse video of someone illustrating a shark in Photoshop. So it's not a total loss.
posted by gomichild at 2:06 AM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
Extra bonus from googling about the pulling power of sharks: Shark Power: Double Penis and Fraternal Cannibalism
posted by gomichild at 2:09 AM on December 29, 2008
posted by gomichild at 2:09 AM on December 29, 2008
And it turns out to be a viral ad for a sunglasses brand.
posted by gomichild at 2:32 AM on December 29, 2008
posted by gomichild at 2:32 AM on December 29, 2008
satiate their curiosity by gently nibbling whatever strikes their fancy.
Repeated for WTF.
I'm reminded of the elephant in a famous Bugs Bunny episode ("Wabbit Season") who, upon hearing that Elmer Fudd may shoot him instead of Bugs because Fudd has an "elephant gun," declares:
"You do and I'll give you SUCH a pinch."
Mmm. Gentle nibbling. Mmmm.
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:39 AM on December 29, 2008
Repeated for WTF.
I'm reminded of the elephant in a famous Bugs Bunny episode ("Wabbit Season") who, upon hearing that Elmer Fudd may shoot him instead of Bugs because Fudd has an "elephant gun," declares:
"You do and I'll give you SUCH a pinch."
Mmm. Gentle nibbling. Mmmm.
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:39 AM on December 29, 2008
Well done gomichild! Someone showed me that sharksurfing clip around the middle of the year. He was convinced it was legit & I called bullshit and did a a quick google but didn't turn up anything solid before I lost interest/forgot all about it. Two days ago someone else showed me this gruesome series of photos allegedy of the victim of piranhas which I also call bullshit on.
As far as shark attacks go, getting eaten has got be one of the more horrific ways for us humans to die, but off the top off my head I'd guess maybe 2 people a year get taken by a shark here in Australia, so frollicking about in the water is still pretty safe compared to lots of other activities such as travelling in a car or smoking.
posted by goshling at 3:24 AM on December 29, 2008
As far as shark attacks go, getting eaten has got be one of the more horrific ways for us humans to die, but off the top off my head I'd guess maybe 2 people a year get taken by a shark here in Australia, so frollicking about in the water is still pretty safe compared to lots of other activities such as travelling in a car or smoking.
posted by goshling at 3:24 AM on December 29, 2008
I'm from around gomi's way, and I was in China when a guy got taken off Glenelg in 2004. It was certainly the only whiff I had that Australia even existed in the Chinese press.
It was like being famous!
posted by Wolof at 3:42 AM on December 29, 2008
It was like being famous!
posted by Wolof at 3:42 AM on December 29, 2008
they have sensory nerves in their teeth
How can that be, when they lose them on a whim? I guess that's not biologically impossible, just really, really painful.
posted by DU at 4:38 AM on December 29, 2008
How can that be, when they lose them on a whim? I guess that's not biologically impossible, just really, really painful.
posted by DU at 4:38 AM on December 29, 2008
That video doesn't even claim that the fin is owned by a shark. (The title on the page does, but it needn't have been titled by the participants.) Even more douchenozzly to hook a dolphin.
posted by DU at 4:42 AM on December 29, 2008
posted by DU at 4:42 AM on December 29, 2008
Reported shark sightings on the West Coast.
They are mostly some variation of "I was surfing/swimming/diving and saw..." And the number of surfers who see a decapitated sea lion on the beach and go out anyway is astonishing. This report, from Ocean Beach in San Francisco, is my current favorite:
posted by rtha at 9:00 AM on December 29, 2008
They are mostly some variation of "I was surfing/swimming/diving and saw..." And the number of surfers who see a decapitated sea lion on the beach and go out anyway is astonishing. This report, from Ocean Beach in San Francisco, is my current favorite:
“I was sitting on surfboard. I observed a 12 – 14 inch high triangular gray fin, at first sitting still in the water about 50 feet from me. It was outside the surf lineup, beyond the breakers, about 100 yards off the beach. I lost sight of it, for a few seconds then saw it again swimming in a tight circle about the same distance from me. I did not see the shark's body. I thought I saw the tail fin cut the surface about 4 – 5 feet behind the dorsal fin, but I was focused on the dorsal fin so I'm not sure. The shark did not approach. I paddled about 15 feet to the south. There were dozens of other surfers in the water and no one reacted. I spoke out loud that I saw a shark but nobody reacted so I let it be. I stayed in the water. After about 20 minutes, about 300 yards offshore I saw what appeared to be a large sea lion being thrown/jumping about 5 times. Then birds started circling and diving. I’m not sure if that was an attack or a seal feeding.”Dude. The seal was being eaten.
posted by rtha at 9:00 AM on December 29, 2008
Humans and sharks seem to regard each other as food. It's a sort of unique relationship in that regard. We don't often worry about chickens chomping us down, and we don't often consider eating a lion.
That's my contribution to the question of "What do we think of sharks, and what do they think of us?"
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:25 AM on December 29, 2008
That's my contribution to the question of "What do we think of sharks, and what do they think of us?"
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:25 AM on December 29, 2008
It's a Grinch. You can use it for tow-ins to big waves, for a sort of surfing when it's flat, or for really unconvincing hoaxes.
posted by GeckoDundee at 1:34 PM on December 29, 2008
posted by GeckoDundee at 1:34 PM on December 29, 2008
Wow. You mean people actually did think that Shark Surfer video was real?
Really?
Wow.
[befuddled noises from inside head]
Um, contrary to modern movie-making, sharks don't throw wakes.
They don't even play fetch. (Generally.)
As I have mentioned before, my buddy Rob Stewart has made a really cool film called Sharkwater. It gives a far better perspective on sharks and their place in the world then, say, Ocean of Fear.
As a person who swims with and is around sharks all the time (daily? weekly?), and whose friends get accosted regularly—a young buddy just had a seven-foot bull shark charge him while he was down spearfishing last week; he turned him away with the end of his spear, suffering a good bruise from the butt-end on his shoulder—I have to say, sharks are cool.
I mean, really cool. Interesting. Smart. Intelligent. Beautiful. Dangerous...
...oh yes, dangerous. That's for certain. But it's not like they are knocking at my door. Rather, it is me in their living room.
Growing up, I worked on commercial fishing boats. I killed a lot of stuff harvesting fish and crabs and lobsters and shrimps. And while I am a vegetarian to the extent I make a point of not eating land animals or even use land animal products, I eat fish and what all.
The deal is this. I am in the water all the time, here in Key West, and in other parts of the Caribbean. There are sharks there. Just as they are fair game to me, I am fair game to them. I'll do everything I can to stay in one piece and alive and well, but that's the game.
Still, while sharks are dangerous, they are not crazed murderous monsters with an insatiable bloodthirst. They're just sharks. They are what they are. And what they are is cool if you're cool.
There are some individual animals that are just dicks, or assholes, or jerks. Humans, birds, dogs, sharks, wolves, even dolphins and monkeys. Just bad. Those are the ones we watch out for. But I don't hold that against all sharks.
I hold that against jerks.
Lastly, white sharks don't have nerves in their teeth. They are massed in the base of their teeth. Same general principle but specifically untrue.
posted by humannaire at 5:02 PM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
Really?
Wow.
[befuddled noises from inside head]
Um, contrary to modern movie-making, sharks don't throw wakes.
They don't even play fetch. (Generally.)
As I have mentioned before, my buddy Rob Stewart has made a really cool film called Sharkwater. It gives a far better perspective on sharks and their place in the world then, say, Ocean of Fear.
As a person who swims with and is around sharks all the time (daily? weekly?), and whose friends get accosted regularly—a young buddy just had a seven-foot bull shark charge him while he was down spearfishing last week; he turned him away with the end of his spear, suffering a good bruise from the butt-end on his shoulder—I have to say, sharks are cool.
I mean, really cool. Interesting. Smart. Intelligent. Beautiful. Dangerous...
...oh yes, dangerous. That's for certain. But it's not like they are knocking at my door. Rather, it is me in their living room.
Growing up, I worked on commercial fishing boats. I killed a lot of stuff harvesting fish and crabs and lobsters and shrimps. And while I am a vegetarian to the extent I make a point of not eating land animals or even use land animal products, I eat fish and what all.
The deal is this. I am in the water all the time, here in Key West, and in other parts of the Caribbean. There are sharks there. Just as they are fair game to me, I am fair game to them. I'll do everything I can to stay in one piece and alive and well, but that's the game.
Still, while sharks are dangerous, they are not crazed murderous monsters with an insatiable bloodthirst. They're just sharks. They are what they are. And what they are is cool if you're cool.
There are some individual animals that are just dicks, or assholes, or jerks. Humans, birds, dogs, sharks, wolves, even dolphins and monkeys. Just bad. Those are the ones we watch out for. But I don't hold that against all sharks.
I hold that against jerks.
Lastly, white sharks don't have nerves in their teeth. They are massed in the base of their teeth. Same general principle but specifically untrue.
posted by humannaire at 5:02 PM on December 29, 2008 [1 favorite]
Um, Comic Book Guy... sorry, you're called humannaire, right? Here's what I have about nerve endings in shark teeth (and I can't believe I'm getting in an internet argument about this, much less with someone who claims to be "buddies" with Rob Stewart, as if that makes you an expert):
Since each tooth is equipped with pressure- and position-sensitive nerves, a White Shark's functional dentition can provide a great deal of tactile information.
Which means that a White Shark relies on its teeth for information about its surrounding environment (and one of the reasons White Sharks are often filmed - dramatically - gnawing on shark-cage bars).
posted by KokuRyu at 6:51 PM on December 29, 2008
Since each tooth is equipped with pressure- and position-sensitive nerves, a White Shark's functional dentition can provide a great deal of tactile information.
Which means that a White Shark relies on its teeth for information about its surrounding environment (and one of the reasons White Sharks are often filmed - dramatically - gnawing on shark-cage bars).
posted by KokuRyu at 6:51 PM on December 29, 2008
Two of 'em say they're Jesus.
One of 'em must be wrong...
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:54 PM on December 29, 2008
One of 'em must be wrong...
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:54 PM on December 29, 2008
When I go scuba diving1, I'm "equipped with" oxygen tanks, but they aren't located inside my body.
1 Never.
posted by DU at 5:08 AM on December 30, 2008
1 Never.
posted by DU at 5:08 AM on December 30, 2008
Um, Comic Book Guy... sorry, you're called humannaire, right? Here's what I have about nerve endings in shark teeth (and I can't believe I'm getting in an internet argument about this, much less with someone who claims to be "buddies" with Rob Stewart, as if that makes you an expert):
KokuRyu, what I understood you to mean was that sharks have nerve endings in their teeth in a way which is different than any other's creature's teeth, including our own. They do not. The big difference is that the teeth are not embedded in the jaw but rather in the flesh so as to allow teeth to regularly be lost and replaced. Some sharks—including white sharks—do have nerves specifically massed at the base of their regular teeth. This to serve in the purpose you described. Furthermore, white sharks teeth are extraordinarily bonded, hard and dense yet highly structured, and the tooth materials are in fact comprised in a way so that they layer nanoscopically for a naturally geodesic redistribution of force.
As for Rob, I clearly didn't reference him to establish credibility but to direct people to his work: It's good and I feel it is an intelligent and rational modern look at sharks.
As for he and my being friends, I was just referencing the fact that we are friends and have dove with sharks together, and when I call he answers. I wasn't saying I tagged along with him to Burning Man this year or anything.
:)
posted by humannaire at 4:10 PM on December 31, 2008
KokuRyu, what I understood you to mean was that sharks have nerve endings in their teeth in a way which is different than any other's creature's teeth, including our own. They do not. The big difference is that the teeth are not embedded in the jaw but rather in the flesh so as to allow teeth to regularly be lost and replaced. Some sharks—including white sharks—do have nerves specifically massed at the base of their regular teeth. This to serve in the purpose you described. Furthermore, white sharks teeth are extraordinarily bonded, hard and dense yet highly structured, and the tooth materials are in fact comprised in a way so that they layer nanoscopically for a naturally geodesic redistribution of force.
As for Rob, I clearly didn't reference him to establish credibility but to direct people to his work: It's good and I feel it is an intelligent and rational modern look at sharks.
As for he and my being friends, I was just referencing the fact that we are friends and have dove with sharks together, and when I call he answers. I wasn't saying I tagged along with him to Burning Man this year or anything.
:)
posted by humannaire at 4:10 PM on December 31, 2008
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posted by ColdChef at 10:28 PM on December 28, 2008