[Update: Since posting this video, KQEDondemand’s YouTube channel has made it for ‘private’ viewing only. I am hoping they will make it public, as it once was, for it is very informative. Sorry for any inconvenience.]
KQED just posted a video on YouTube from their program Quest. This episode looks at the great White Shark that lives in the Pacific Ocean between the California coast and Hawaii. It is considered to be the largest predator in the ocean, with up to 300 sharp teeth and keen eyesight. But they aren’t fast swimmers, says John McCosker, of the California Academy of Sciences. To compensate, they mug their victim (often sealions) by coming up from behind and taking a big bite before they have a chance to escape.
Many of the 400 species of shark are facing extinction, much due to human over-fishing. One example given was due to the popularity of a particular Chinese dish, Fish Fin Soup. Fishermen capture the sharks, slice off their fins, and push them back into the ocean. Without the ability to swim, they slowly sink down to the bottom of the ocean floor and drown.
Are sharks the toughest, meanest predator in the ocean? No, humans are, according to McCosker.
For more information on White Sharks.
Go to Original Post… [editor’s note: this will be updated upon the re-release of the video onto their YouTube channel.]