Monday, June 09, 2008

Great Whites: Socially Sophisticated and Smart

Have you ever looked at the Shark pages of Underwater Times?

Quite an experience!

I was expecting the usual assortment of gore, sensationalism, stupidity (culminating in "Shark attacks boy in his bedroom") and half-baked punditry - so imagine my joy and surprise at finding this fabulous article about Great Whites!

Well written and well researched, it finally depicts this iconic animal as what it really is: an awesome apex predator, exquisitely adapted to its environment and featuring the very same traits that we've finally learned to admire in our big cats and bears.
Among many other things, we learn that the Great White's "reputation as a ruthless, mindless man-eater is undeserved. In the past decade, ..... Shark experts have come to realize that Sharks rarely hunt humans—and that the beasts are sociable and curious. Unlike most fish, White Sharks are intelligent, highly inquisitive creatures."

These findings dovetail perfectly with what we're learning from interacting with our big Bull Sharks and Tigers on The Shark Dive here in Fiji - all very intriguing and exciting indeed!

Great journalism and required reading - and kudos to Paul Raffaele for a job very well done!


No comments: