Page 53 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Great white sharks
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How a seal escapes

Giving chase
These smaller marine creatures are highly agile and will attempt to throw
the shark off their tail by performing a zig-zagging motion through the

ocean. The shark will attempt to pursue the prey across the surface but
the longer the chase, the more chance the victim has of escaping.
The impact
The great white will aim to kill or at least injure the prey on impact by
using the breach method. If the shark fails to capture the target in its
jaws, however, then marine mammals such as seals, dolphins and whales
stand a good chance of giving the shark the slip.

Quick questions with
an expert
Name: Richard Ellis
Role: Marine biologist
Organisation: Various
Could you tell us about your fi rst
up-close encounter with a great
white shark? You were
It was 1985 when I went in a friends with
cage with great white sharks the late Peter Benchley,
in south Australia as part of author of Jaws. How did he feel
an assignment for National about the public’s reaction?
Geographic. At this time the He would send me the dra
movie Jaws had come out and copies of his future manuscript

in the film the shark breaks and I would say to him: “This

through the bars, so the first is nonsense, sharks don’t eat
time you experience the shark in people,” and he would say “It she drew tens of thousands of What fascinates
a cage like that, you’re terrified. doesn’t matter, I’m writing people to see the ‘man-eater’. you most about the great white?

A er a while you realise fi ction.” It was hardly his Aquariums wouldn’t fish for How beautiful they are. As a

the shark is just curious, it intention to initiate a vendetta them, but if a shark was trapped child, I liked drawing planes
might even bite on the cage against sharks, but he ended up accidentally then it could be because they’re powerful, fast
bars, not because it’s trying to doing just that. Everyone saw rehabilitated before being set and well-designed and this is an
bite through them, but rather the movie and thought the only free. Sandy refused to eat, animal that fulfils many of these

because the metal gives off good shark was a dead shark. though, and she kept bumping specifi cations. Then I researched
an electrical current, which Later in his life he became a into a particular area of the tank them and realised how little we
sharks are attracted to. The dedicated conservationist of because it turned out there was knew, so the first book I wrote

whole operation was arranged sharks, but the damage was an electrical leak. They only kept was called The Book of Sharks,
by Rodney Fox who was one already done. her for a few days before putting which attempted to identify the

of the first major victims of the her back in the ocean. truth about these creatures. © Alamy; FLPA; Thinkstock; apexpredators.com
great white, having nearly been A er Jaws, there were attempts
bitten in half in 1963. It took over to keep great whites in captivity.
400 stitches to put him back Can you tell us about Sandy? “Everyone saw the movie and thought

together, but he was back in the Sandy was the first great white
water within six weeks. to be put on exhibition and the only good shark was a dead shark”
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