Large Sharks Research Articles

Bottle-Nosed Dolphins Support Remains of Young

About 10:00 am on August 4, 1954, while on a boat patrol in the Everglades National Park in south Florida, district rangers Vincent M. Mrazek and Lyle H. McDowell were passing through the middle of Whitewater Bay near Long Point (lat. 25° 17′, long. 80° 59′). Seeing two bottle-nosed dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) associating in the calm water with a small, whitish, floating object, the rangers circled back to investigate. The dolphins, one of which had been rather continuously bumping the object along with its snout, submerged and disappeared as the boat approached, but when the rangers came to within about 25 feet of the floating object, they discovered it to be the head of a baby dolphin. Its body had been cut away from the head very smoothly, suggesting the bite of a large shark. Having identified the object of the attention of the dolphins, the rangers withdrew 70 …

La vie des requins

THIS small volume is admirable in its simplicity and interest, the secret of its success being the author‘s undoubted linking, if not affection, for these huge sharks which are regarded with horror and disgust by many. The subject is approached with respect for the shark and admiration for its wonderful power and form, so perfectly fitted for its mode of life. Certainly a dogfish swimming in an aquarium tank is an unforgettable sight. The numerous illustrations are good, both plates and text figures, and the various chapters cover much ground : classification, morphology, anatomy, food habits and ‘les mangeurs d‘homme', freshwater sharks, pilots and remoras, history, and shark fisheries and utilization. As man-eaters the large sharks are apparently much less dangerous than is usually supposed. They undoubtedly eat man, especially in certain regions, but they are easily frightened, and it has been stated that they are the most cowardly of all animals that fly, run or swim. This is No. 7 of a series of "Histoires naturelles", and is thoroughly recommended to all lovers of natural history.

The Whale Shark Unafraid the Greatest of the Sharks, Rhineodon typus, Fears not Shark, Man nor Ship

B3ARIRING the internal parasites which it harbors, the whale shark has no enemies-it literally fears nothing. This may be due in part to its great size-it grows to 60 feet in length-and certainly to its tremendously thick skin. All sharks lhave thick, solid skins, but the whale shark's is thick beTond all others. IUnderneath the epidermis in a 32-foot shark is a 4-inch-thick layer of coniiective tissue as dense, solid and resistant as a solid-rubber truck tire. The whale shark is virtually clad in armlor. Sharks have no ribs, and their mnuscles are attached directly to the skin. This skin in a sense acts as an exoskeleton. Hence, ill a huge heavy shark like Rhineodon, the skin must be thick, dense and strong to give fo rm and substance to the great body. Furthermore, the whale shark is the enemy of no living things except the small invertebrates and fishes upon wThlich it feeds. And since all sharks are omnivorous carnivores, this seems a most extraordinary thing. All large sharks are provided with large cutting or tearing teeth in proportion to their size and to the kind of prey they use as food. Thus provided they are supposed to be enemies of all other sharks, of all large fishes, anc particularly of maIn. Furthermore, excepting when 'hanging around ships for sCraps thrown over from the galley or when feeding oil a whale moored alongside a ship for 'cutting ini,' sharks commonly avToid ships. The shark is always hiugry. I can not say how large is his pepsin secretion, but huis hydrochloric acid output is great, as one's hands will tell if lie dissects a shark's

The Large Sharks of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The White Shark or Maneater, Tiger Shark and Hammerhead

The Large Sharks of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The White Shark or Maneater, Tiger Shark and Hammerhead