great white shark
There aren't any. But, aquaria have many times tried to make it so, and it always goes bad for the shark. The basic problem is that great white sharks are pelagic, and it is very hard to keep pelagic creatures in a confined space, and the largest aquaria are very confined from the point of view of a large pelagic animal.
Another problem would eventually become important in the event that an aquarium managed to keep a great white shark alive long enough. When they are young, great white sharks dine on fish. When they are adults, they seem to prefer mammals. So, imagine feeding time at the…
The jaws of C. megalodon as restored by Bashford Dean for the AMNH in 1909. Image from the American Museum Journal.
My early elementary reading school choices often got me into trouble. Every week I would pass over the recommended, grade-appropriate sections for the few shelves containing the books about dinosaurs, sharks, and alligators - if it was big and hard sharp teeth, I wanted to learn about it. The school librarian was not too pleased with this, even calling my parents in on one occasion to insist that I read something fit for younger children, but I just could not get enough of…
Basically this session is about making a media story out of a zoo or aquarium's conservation efforts. I'm making a story out of making a story.
Challenging Media Myths About White Sharks
Speaker: Karen Jeffries, Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium examined the possibility of exhibiting a great white shark in an effort to change perceptions of an animal most commonly associated with the movie Jaws. The husbandry challenges were formidable. Of the 37 previous attempts to exhibit a great white, all had died quickly, the oldest living only 16 days.
The PR challenges were also…
tags: shark, elasmobranch, great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, Image of the Day
This is the most amazing wildlife image I've ever seen. If you don't agree with me, then you have to show me what's more amazing than this!
Kayaking with a Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias.
Image: Thomas P. Peschak [purchase this image].
The photographer writes; To capture this image I tied myself to the tower of the research boat Lamnidae and leaned into the void, precariously hanging over the ocean while waiting patiently for a white shark to come along. I wanted to [take] a photograph that…