Happy Shark Week!

This precious baby above is a Sand Tiger shark. He looks quite vicious, as his mouth is constantly open and bears quite a few nasty teeth. This type of shark, however, is particularly harmless and non-aggressive. Additionally, their jaws are not built to eat large creatures, and they'd rather not have to take multiple bites for a meal. They keep their mouth open in order to breathe underwater and will only attack humans if provoked. They are the only shark known to gulp air, as storing air in their stomachs allow them to float still in the water, making it easier to catch unsuspecting fish. Looks can be deceiving no matter what species. (Personal photo taken at the Georgia Aquarium--a place of dreams)

Does else anyone think it's curious that millions of people across the nation (and quite possibly the world) take time out of their days during a singular summer week to watch educational programs about sharks?

Today I sat down with a young five-year-old girl who I have been trying to teach Star Wars and marine science to. This young lady particularly likes television shows such as Spongebob Squarepants. While the animation is colorful and arguably quite beautiful, I find myself a bit agitated at the improbability of it all. Life underwater would not be able to contain crabby patties or the same terrestrial laws of physics, nor should children think it possible to make jelly out of jellyfish.

I flipped off the cartoons and turned on the Discovery channel, as my friends have been wishing me a happy Shark Week. Most of the dialogue was inarticulate for a five year old to follow, but the show itself showed a group of divers trying to prove that sharks are not the cold blooded killers we often think them to be. The stars of this episode in particular were great white sharks, who have been known to be more aggressive than other species. Kennin, the young girl, was confused as to why the sharks didn't eat the divers. I explained to her that people don't go around eating everything in sight that they see, though Kennin confessed that she is hungry all the time. We are constantly surrounded with things that are "edible" in a sense: tv remotes, couches, tables, books. We do not, however, think of these items as appetizing. Sharks do not think humans are particularly enticing, and sharks mostly do not voluntarily choose to taste a human. In fact, sharks are not the voracious eaters we always imagine them to be. Rather, they are sort of like vultures and often eat the dead and dying fish instead. This isn't to say that sharks are lazy; Rather, sharks help maintain healthy ecosystem balances and are dire parts of oceanic life.

Reports of shark attacks are almost always accounts of sharks being under stress or mistaking a human for another creature. It is advisable to not go swimming in the ocean when one is wounded, as sharks can detect such stress from quite a distance and will indeed seek to "clean up" their territory. When sharks do bite, however, they usually don't take much more than one bite; humans are not particularly delicious. Unfortunately, one bite from a large jaw with rows upon rows of sharp teeth can do a lot of damage. Sharks are not going to seek out innocent and unsuspecting humans, but there are precautions humans should take when in shark territories.

As the program progressed, Kennin thought it interesting that the divers would swat their hands at the shark who swam towards the diver. I explained to her how the diver is telling the shark that he (the diver) is not to be messed with. These divers study sharks for a living and know how to read shark behavior. That's why when the shark showed the divers his teeth, the divers decided to leave the water and respect the shark's territory. Like most animals, barring one's teeth is a sign of threat or aggression.

The grand finale in the program consisted of a female great white shark revealing her stomach to a snorkeler. This behavior is an act of submission, or like a hand shake as I explained to Kennin. The shark then allowed the snorkeler to hold onto her fin and swim 75' with her--just like a trained dolphin might. Kennin understood this as the shark and snorkeler becoming friends, and I was awe-struck by this friendship.

Sharks are creatures that date back before the dinosaurs, and they are some of the most feared and misunderstood creatures on this planet. Though I recognize many of the Shark Week programs are about shark attack survivors and often dramatize shark's predator capabilities, I am incredibly thankful that the discovery channel can help people rethink their understanding of what sharks are. The ocean stretches over 2/3rds of our earth, and sharks are the ones who regulate and control the water. That means sharks are much more influential than we might think; as stewards of the earth, it is our responsibility to ensure that they are treated with the same delicacy and respect that we give to all life.

Shark Video : Here is a trailer for a Shark documentary that seeks to help people better understand sharks' roles in our world. They are becoming increasingly threatened by humans' fear of and disinterest in their well-being. By seeking to learn more about the worlds' odd inhabitants, however, we begin to see how dependent humans are on the intricate balances maintained by all forms of life.