White Tip Reef Sharks

Name: White Tip Reef Shark
Scientific Name: Triaenodon obesus
Length: About 5 feet
Weight: Close to 40 pounds

White Tip Reef Sharks are easy to spot aside from the other sharks. This is mostly because of their dorsal fins. Their dorsal fins are all grey and have a white "dipped" look on the tip (which gives the name "White Tip"). They have shorter, more broad heads and more slender bodies. Their eyes are oval shaped and they have slit-shaped pupils. Their snouts are flattened and very blunt. If you see a shark, and all of these fit its description, you saw (or are seeing) a White Tip Reef Shark.

This type of shark is a night feeder -- similar to many other sharks. They're usually inactively spending their days inside caves, and emerge at night to hunt down and feed on their prey.
They're prey commonly consists of bony fish, crustaceans, and octopus. They hunt in groups.
The shape of their bodies actually help them to squeeze into some cracks and crevasses to get their hidden prey.

These sharks mate once a year. They give birth to between 1 and 6 shark pups every year. White Tip Reef Sharks are one of few species of sharks to be observed mating in the wild. The female's gestation period is about 10 to 13 months long.


White Tip Reef Sharks are rarely, if at all, found near America. However, they can sometimes be found inside underwater lava tubes in Hawaii. They live more on the reefs of the Indo-Pacific. They can be found laying on the more open, sandy flats of Costa Rica. They also like to stay in higher populated areas and very seldom move to new areas.


Tiger Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, and Silvertip Sharks often prey on the White Tip Reef Sharks. These sharks can also occasionally be found in the stomach of a Giant Grouper fish, although the Giant Groupers are rare.


White Tip Reef Sharks may swim closer to a diver then other sharks, but they rarely become aggressive. When they do, it's because the attack was provoked. However, they will readily steal the catches of spear fishermen. This will usually result in a bite from the shark, but it wasn't directed at the fisherman, it was directed to the catch. They have only been blamed for five attacks on humans. Two of which were provoked, three unprovoked. The unprovoked attacks were due to feeding them and spear fishing. And really, that shouldn't even be considered unprovoked because there were good reasons as to why it happened, they weren't trying to bite you on purpose, and in a way both of those things like provoking an attack.


Many fisheries in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Pakistan, and India catch these sharks. They're taken in for their meat and livers. However, it's proven that shark meat may be extremely unhealthy.
And because of their slower reproduction rate, low dispersal, and restricted habitat, overfishing often makes it harder for them to keep recovering. They are at risk of becoming another threatened species of shark.


This is my knowledge of the White Tip Reef Shark, Hope you've enjoyed reading. :)


Image courtesy of www.aquariumofpacific.org

Nurse Sharks

Name: Nurse Shark
Scientific Name: Ginglymostoma cirratum
Length: Around 14 feet
Weight: Around 330 pounds

Nurse Sharks (not to be mistaken with the "Blue Nurse Shark") are subtropical and tropical bottom dwellers. They can be found around the Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Peru, and Baja California.

They are also nocturnal. They spend most of their days in larger, inactive groups of about 40 and then they become very active at night. By nightfall, these sharks become solitary, meaning they spend their active time alone.

Nurse Sharks have smaller mouths making their food sources more limited than say, a Great White. If they for some reason did come after a human, their bite wouldn't lead to a fatality unless you were too far from a hospital and you bled to death. However, where they tend to swim around and reside, is close enough to shore, you shouldn't have a hard time getting help in time.

Nurse Sharks reproduce in the months of June and July. They are ovoviviparous. This means their offspring develop in eggs inside of them, but also hatch inside of them. The typical size of a litter of Nurse Shark pups is between 21 and 29. And the newborns have a very spotted coloration, which then fades with age.

This kind of shark is not commonly fished for, but their sluggish movements cause them to become targets for local fisheries and local shark catchers. They are also sometimes caught for their skin and flesh. Their skin is tough and good for leather. Their flesh is often consumed fresh with some salt. Their livers are also another contributing reason to why they are being caught because their livers can be used for oil. :(

Nurse Sharks will not attack a human unless they provoke it. Sharks and their bites are similar to bees and their stingers. They don't intentionally hurt you. If they think you're bothering them or are trying to hurt them, they'll probably bite or sting. Although, sharks can also bite in a case of mistaken identity. I don't know much about bees, but I don't think bees mistake humans for anything else they may sting.

This is my knowledge of the Nurse Shark. Thanks for reading :)

Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org

Sand Tiger Sharks

Name: Sand Tiger Shark (A.K.A. Sand Tiger, Sand Shark, Grey Nurse Shark, Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark, or Blue-Nurse Sand Tiger)
Scientific Name: Carcharias taurus
Length: Between 9 and 11 feet
Weight: About 350 pounds

Sand Tigers are most commonly found on the sandy beaches of North America (hence the name "Sand" Tiger). These sharks are grey with reddish-brown spots on their backs. They have sharp, pointy heads and their bodies are bulky. They're teeth are very jagged (as seen below; also giving them the nickname of the "Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark").

Sand Tiger Sharks are commonly found with a disease that causes their backs to become very arched. This disease causes the Sand Tigers so much pain they are usually put on pain killers or they may be put down. No one knows why this happens or what causes it, but biologists are working on finding out more information and a cure for the disease.

Sand Tigers are night feeders, similar to most other sharks. They are also the only sharks known to gulp air and keep it in their stomach to help them keep their near-neutral buoyancy. This helps them while they're hunting. Sand Tigers never hunt alone. They are always traveling in schools.

People are usually scared of this type of shark because of their teeth and the fact that they're sharks. But truth is, no matter how close to humans they may come, they don't really pose a threat.
There have only been 29 reported attacks on humans by a Sand Tiger, however, only two were fatal. The reason for some of these attacks have been because of spear fishing. They're commonly found in a close proximity to where spear fishers hunt.

The Sand Tiger Sharks have the lowest reproduction rate of all species of sharks. They give birth to few pups because of the unborn cannibalistic nature of them when they're inside the stomach still. The shark pups usually end up being about 3 feet long.

That's my knowledge of Sand Tiger Sharks. Hope you enjoyed :)

Image(s)courtesy of www.sharkwallpapers.net and www.tnaqua.org

How To Avoid A Shark Attack

This post is about how to avoid a shark attack. One of the number one ways, is to avoid wearing bright colors or intense patterns. The colors look like fish and the patterns look like coral. If they sense the electrical impulse of your heartbeat, and you're wearing colorful and/or intensely patterned shorts, they may mistake your leg for a fish. Sharks may have excellent eyesight in the dark, but during the day, the light is much harder on their eyes making it easier for them to mistakenly attack humans.

The second most common way is swimming during a shark's feeding hours. If you're in the Great White's territory, stay closer to shore and you'll be okay almost anytime. However, if you're in the territory of any other shark, do not go into the water between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and  8:00 a.m. Studies show that most attacks occur during that time. This is because for almost all sharks, this is their prime feeding time.

Another big factor is swimming alone. Sharks want the easy prey, not the kind they have to fight for. If you're swimming alone, a shark is more likely to come to you than if you're swimming in a group. So, if you end up stranded without a boat, stay with a group, not alone.

Never go into the water when you're bleeding or have wounds of any sort. Remember, sharks can smell one drop of blood up to several miles away. So it's best to take that time at the beach and get a nice tan instead of risk an attack.

Never wear anything shiny when swimming in the ocean(s). Sharks are attracted to shiny. It may resemble their prey or bring them to be curious. Sharks feel things with they're mouth so they bite to find out what it is they're curious about.

If you like to spear fish, be extremely careful not to be too far out from shore. With how easily a shark can smell blood, how quickly they can move, and how well they can sense the changes in the fish's electromagnetic pulse, they'll be there quickly.

Another way to avoid attacks is to stay away from drop-offs. Sharks hang around the drop-offs a lot. This may be because they have a diet that consists of some smaller coral and reef dwellers and some bigger ocean dwellers. So I'd recommend staying away from the drop-offs as well.


Do not splash obnoxiously or erratically. Sharks may sense this to be a dying fish and come to check it out. You can have a little fun splashing, but don't continue or a shark is usually bound to come and investigate.


Don't go diving with sharks alone or in chummed waters. In either of these cases, sharks may have a mistaken snack... *JAWS theme begins playing* If the water is chummed, this means there are dead fish or other dead animals floating in the water. The most commonly used chum if dead tuna fish (and blood) cut up and frozen in a garbage bucket and released for experiments.
And for swimming with sharks alone, this is dangerous anyway, but to go alone is worse. Let's say you're swimming with a shark and it decides that for some odd reason it wants some food or it starts to act strange from an illness it may have. You get a good bite and you're probably not gonna make it out alive. They'll be no one there to call for help or pull you out of the water.


Always get information on where you're swimming. Some smaller bays on the smaller island coasts are used for dumping waste. In some cases, the waste is meat. On an episode of shark week, a 17 year old girl had gone swimming in a smaller bay just off the coast of an island. She and her brother were splashing around a bit. He decided he was done swimming for a while, but she wanted to take a lap around the boat. Next thing she knew she was being pulled under. This was because she had been thrashing around and the bay they were swimming in was a waste area for old or unused meat.


The last way is to keep your eyes open for sharks. Always be aware and alert, but don't be ridiculous about it either because than you'll end up afraid of the water and you'll always be paranoid.


These are just some of the many ways to avoid a shark attack. So remember, be aware, not paranoid. Hope this comes in handy for all you surfers, swimmers, and sailors out there :)

Caribbean Reef Sharks

Name: Caribbean Reef Shark
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus perezii
Length: Between 6 and 8 feet long
Weight: About 154 pounds

 Caribbean Reef Sharks are usually found in more shallow waters. However, they've been known to dive down to great depths. 

Caribbean Reef Sharks generally have shorter, more broad, rounded snouts. Their eyes are larger, circular, and have a protective third eyelid. Their gill slits are longer than those of most other sharks.

Despite how abundant they are in certain areas, Caribbean Reef Sharks are actually on of the least studied sharks out there. Although they're not being studied as much, we still know they are night feeders (like most sharks) and so they're more active at night.

Caribbean Reef Sharks are the only actively living sharks that have been seen resting motionless on the more shallow ocean surfaces near caves. This is odd because sharks always need to be moving so they can breathe. That's why when people fish for sharks, fin them, and throw them back into the ocean, they die. Without their fins they can't move. If they can't move then they can't breathe. As to why the Caribbean Reef Sharks have been spotted hat way, I have no clue. Researchers are still set out to find why.

Male Caribbean Reef Sharks- unlike most sharks-reach sexual maturity before the female Caribbean Reef Sharks. The males reach their sexual maturity when they're about 5 feet long. Females, however, reach their sexual maturity when they reach between 6 and 9 feet in length.


These sharks are rather shy, or indifferent if you will, around divers. However, in cases where food is involved, they're large enough to propose a potential threat. Also, these sharks have been blamed for few attacks on man, none of which were fatal.


In some areas around the world, you may be able to go on a "shark feed." A "shark feed" is where you can strap on your scuba gear and go diving with a group of other certified divers (and a guide) and feed these specific types of sharks. I watched an episode of shark week where this happened. A man and a guide went down onto an old wreck and started feeding some sharks during the day and then again at night to determine how much more aggressive they were to get their food. As I mentioned earlier this type of shark is a night feeder, however, they were just as aggressive during the day as they were at night.


This is the little bit I know about the Caribbean Reef Sharks. Thanks for reading :)


Image courtesy of oceana.org

Update

Hey, everyone. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm working on some projects to help promote Saving Our Sharks (S.O.S). I'll be making a Facebook page, a very similar blog to this one on Tumblr, a Saving Our Sharks (S.O.S) Chat Group, hopefully at some point a webpage. And at some point when I get enough hits, I'd like to design some anti-shark attack board shorts, t-shirts, tanks, and beach bags. I'm currently working on creating a logo for the Saving Our Sharks (S.O.S) blog(s). When I get the Facebook page/group, and the Tumblr blog, I'll be pasting the link in my profile and at the end of all my blogs. As for the clothes and merchandise, I'll be donating between 25% and 30% of all the proceeds to saving the sharks (once I get it all started of course). If you want information about anything, you can leave comments and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks for the views everyone. I'll keep posting... There's A LOT more to come about all the sharks I can manage to get my information on. Hope you bloggers are enjoying, Laura.

Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks

Name: Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (A.K.A the Bronze, Kidney-Headed, or Southern Hammerhead)
Scientific Name: Sphyrna lewini (originally Zygaena lewini)
Length: About 14 feet
Weight: About 330 pounds

Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks get their name strictly because of their heads. As you can see in the picture (above), It's head is a T-shape and in between it's eyes, it has a scalloped look. Hence, the "Scalloped" Hammerhead. Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks are the most common form of Hammerhead Shark. When you think "Hammerhead," the image that pops into your mind is usually a Scalloped Hammerhead Shark.

Hammerhead Sharks generally travel in schools reaching up to the hundreds in size.
These sharks very seldom a threat to humans. If you're a diver, and you have all your gear, the chances of a hammerhead coming anywhere near you a very slim because they're actually afraid of the sound that your regulator and air tank make when you're breathing.

Hammerheads have an interesting way of hunting. The way their heads are shaped actually helps them find their food despite how their eyes are positioned. They have small electromagnetic sensors in their heads that help them find electrical impulses from smaller sea life hiding in the sand. Even when the prey is hiding under the sand or blending in, they pick up on the electrical impulse of their heartbeats and go down for the attack. 

In June, 2006 a report was filed about an alleged "new" type of Scalloped Hammerhead. The report claimed that the sighting of this "new" Scalloped Hammerhead was on a beach in South Carolina. 


Image courtesy of www.wallpapers-diq.com

Lemon Sharks

Name: Lemon Shark
Scientific Name: Negaprion brevirostris
Length: Typically 8 to 10 feet long (some may exceed by 1 to 3 feet)
Weight: Around 350 pounds (some can get up to 405 pounds)

Lemon Sharks are another more commonly heard of shark. They haven't been blamed for nearly as many attacks as the Tiger Shark, the Bull Shark, or the Great White, but they have been blamed for their fair share. Lemons are stockier than most sharks, and they get their name from their yellow-brown color. Their coloring also helps them blend with the ocean floor. Their appearance, other than their coloring, consists of a flattened head, a short, broad snout, and both dorsal fins are about the same size.

Lemon Sharks reproduce once every year and give birth to an average of 17 shark pups per litter.
They're also one of the most popular choices of sharks for scientists to study. Part of this is because they can survive so well in captivity unlike most sharks. However, as often as they have been studied, there's not a lot of information on them.


Lemon sharks are blamed for 22 attacks on humans since 1580, and none of them have been fatal. Lemon sharks are quite docile despite what you hear and see a lot of the time.


This here is my knowledge of the Lemon Shark. Thanks for viewing :)

Image courtesy of www.filming.edu

Bull Sharks

Name: Bull Shark
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus leucas
Length: Approximately 11 feet
Weight: Approximately 700 pounds

Bull Sharks have the highest testosterone level of all animals on the planet. If you want to blame a shark as vicious, this is the one to blame. These sharks will sometimes go after humans. No one knows why exactly, but they aren't shy to go after prey larger than them at times. The Bull Sharks actually can live in both saltwater and freshwater. They commonly swim from the ocean to a smaller freshwater river over in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I was watching shark week (you'll see this in most of my blogs), and they were showing the freshwater river area where some of these sharks resided. On a different episode, I watched a Bull Shark swim up to a man who was standing in the water with all these sharks (many kinds including the Bull Shark, the Lemon Shark, and several others), and bite his leg. They showed his leg just after the bite and it was severed. I was surprised they even saved it. This man did nothing to provoke it, but did this stop him from getting back into the water, no. I'd be a bit skeptical to swim with a Bull Shark, however, I wouldn't be afraid to swim with any other kind of shark. Although, I think I'll start by swimming with the most docile sharks first. Anyway, back to the sharks. Bull Sharks have a bite force of up to 1,250 pounds.

Their snouts are rather nubby (as you can see in the picture above). When they eat and/or attack their prey they do what shark specialists like to call a "Bump and Bite." They bump into they're prey and bite it right away.

Bull Sharks reproduce differently than Great Whites and Tigers. They have a gestation period of 12 months, they mate in the summer and autumn months, and they give birth to between 4 and 10 young. Bulls are vicious enough to kill all of them if they're hungry.

That's about all the knowledge I have on the Bull Sharks. Hope you enjoyed :)

Image courtesy of www.sharkdiving.us

Tiger Sharks

Name: Tiger Shark (A.K.A. Sea Tiger)
Scientific Name: Galeocerdo cuvier
Length: About 16 feet
Weight: Between 850 and 1,400 pounds

The Tiger Shark is another interesting shark. Also blamed for many attacks. I can't say I've seen a tiger submit to anyone like I have the Great White, however I don't doubt how docile this shark really is. Tigers got their name because of the print on their backs. They look like they have tiger stripes on their backs, just a couple shades darker grey than they're skin. Unlike the Great White Shark, the Tiger Shark's head is more of a wedge shape. Their teeth are stronger than those of a Great White as well. Tiger Sharks have a certain diet containing turtles, so their teeth are specially designed to cut through flesh and bone to get through the turtle shells. Even though they don't intentionally come after humans, they are known to be apex predators. This means they are known to eat virtually anything. On an episode of shark week, one of the men on there threw a license plate into the water to see if it would eat it (like on JAWS), and sure enough, it did. They're also known to try and take on some types of dolphins and occasionally and injured whale.
Tigers generally swim slowly which makes it harder for their prey to spot them. When the time is right, they go after their prey with a sudden burst of speed.

Despite how slowly the Tiger Sharks reproduce, they aren't as vulnerable to extinction as the Great White Sharks are. Tigers mate only once every three years. However, they have more pups than most sharks. Tigers typically have between 10 and 80 pups every litter.

Although shark attacks on humans aren't that often, Tigers have taken a lot of blame for more of the fatal ones. However, Bull Sharks are more commonly at fault.


Tiger sharks are captured more often than other sharks for not only their fins, but also their skins. The look of them is more captivating than that of most other sharks.


Anyway, this is my knowledge on the Tiger Sharks. Hope you enjoyed. :)
For more information, visit www.wikipedia.org

Image courtesy of www.sharkpictures.org

Great White Sharks

Seeing as I'm a huge shark nerd, and have a huge passion for them, I watch a lot of shark week on my netflix. I'm gonna tell you bloggers what I know about sharks.
For starters, I'll tell you all about the great white. The one most well-known to man, thanks to a movie we know to be JAWS. But we look at the Great Whites the same way as the movie.

Name: Great White Shark (A.K.A The Great White, White Shark, White Pointer, or White Death)
Scientific Name: Carcharodon carcharias
Lenght: Between 13 and 17 feet (although some can exceed that by 3 or 4 feet)
Weight: About 5,000 pounds
Life Span: Up to 30 years

What if we take a look at them through the eyes of God or for the atheists the eyes of science? Sharks weren't created to be cold-blooded killers. They were created to keep the marine ecosystem in line. Sharks don't intentionally come after humans. They don't like the taste of us. It's most commonly a case of mistaken identity. Let's say you're a surfer, you're kind of far out in the water, and you're still paddling out. If a shark is hungry and they're looking up at you on your board, to them, you're a seal. You on your surf board is a very similar shape to they're food source of seals. However, the way they come and attack their prey is quite intriguing. All sharks have different methods. Some very similar, some very different. The Great White will dive deep into the water and come up at an incredibly steep angle (almost 90 degrees), building speed, they hurl themselves out of the water, capturing the prey in their mouths, and falling back in to finish them off. Anyway, I'm not trying to prove how vicious they are, but how docile they can be.
Great Whites aren't as much of a threat as we see them to be. I watched an episode of shark week recently and in this episode a man went into the water with a 17 foot Great White Shark and he actually got this larger female to submit to him. Any type of shark submitting to another shark is rare, but this was a shark submitting to a smaller figure. He got into the water unsure of what might happen and attracted the shark to where he was. He then put his hand on the tip of its nose (very close to the mouth), and started to carefully massage it. Next thing you see is this 17 footer turned upside down. When he gently took his hand off, the shark turned back over and let him ride its back via the fin. How incredible it must've been to be him at that time. That was such a peculiar thing to happen. This shark was what he liked to call a "player." In essence, this meant the shark was curious, but not to the point of hurting something. Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat.

In this case, the curiosity actually is helping build a healthy relationship and less fear between sharks and humans. I'm no expert, but I love my sharks. This is just some of what I know, so hopefully those of you who cared enough to read it enjoyed it.

Image courtesy of www.factsaboutsharks.com

Introduction

Hi there,
I'm Laura. I'm 16 as of late February. I have a passion for sharks (as you can see).
They are such magnificent creatures. I'd like all you bloggers out there to help me make this blog a big deal and help me spread the word about saving sharks. Everyone tells me one person can't make a difference, one person can't make a change. My argument is one may not be able to do it alone, but they can start the change. So help me save the sharks. Leave me comments, links, anything that you think may help me to save them. I'll be posting as often as I can about sharks so you can decide if you want to help or not. I'm not much of a writer so this will be my challenge. My question to all you bloggers or blog readers is "Can WE be the change?"
If you look at the Shark Research Committee (http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/conservation.htm) link above, you'll read that "70-100 million sharks are killed annually..."
If you look at statistics of sharks attacks and compare them to the attacks humans make on sharks for their "prized fins," you'd see that we outnumber them so greatly, that we're going to offset the natural balance of things. By killing all these sharks, the marine ecosystem is being offset to the point where it can't be changed back because sharks reproduce very slowly. They have few pups in their litter and some get killed by their own siblings or parents right after they're born. Some are born alive, some in eggs. Plus, with the pollution of our oceans, so many of our marine animals are become deformed. Some sharks can stomach eating these poisonous and deformed fish, but other cannot.