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Sharks image gallery...
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| click on any image to enlarge |
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Whale shark, Thailand
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White tips,
Roca Partida
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Hammerheads, Galapagos
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Whitetip,
Indonesia
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Bronze whaler, Christmas Is.
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Leopard shark, Thailand
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Wobbegong,
Raja Ampat
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Great White, Mexico
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Black tip, Juv. Malaysia
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White tip,
Mexico
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Grey Reef,
Palau
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Epaulette shark, Raja Ampat
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Nurse shark,
Burma
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Nurse shark, Carriacou
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Galapagos shark, Mexico
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Whaleshark, Burma
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Tassled wobbegong, Indo
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Grey reef shark, Palau
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Leopard shark, Maldives
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Silvertip,
Micronesia
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Int = intermediate | Juv = juvenile
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All about sharks...
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Many sharks are now registered on the IUCN red list of critically endangered, endangered or threatened species. The rest are listed as vulnerable. Very few shark species are listed as stable and none are listed as increasing. |
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Sitting right at the top of the marine food chain, sharks fall into the scientific superorder Selachimorpha. Beneath this, there are 14 or so 'orders' but a simpler way to describe their diversity is to state that there are 440 different species of shark in our oceans. These amazing animals vary from the deep sea dwarf lanternshark, which measures just 17 centimetres (7 in) long, to the majestic and placid whale shark (or whaleshark), Rhincodon typus, which can reach as much as 12 metres (39 ft).
Sharks are found in all seas and some travel to depths of 2,000 metres, sometimes more. The Great White shark and the hammerhead sit at the very top of the apex predator chain while others, like basking sharks are completely harmless.
Conservation
While sharks are seen as the ultimate predators, their survival continues to be threatened by man and in particular, by commercial fishing practices. It is estimated that 100 million sharks are killed every year in this way.
For more information on shark conservation projects, www.sharktrust.org
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| Shark encounters... |
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LOCATION: Guadalupe Island, Mexico
DIVE SITE: North East Coast
DEPTH: 3m
SPECIES: Carcharodon carcharias
COMMON NAME: Great White shark
IMAGE
Photographing from a cage
DIVE LOG:
Guadalaupe Island is one of the few places where divers (and non-divers) can get up close and personal with a Great White shark and be perfectly safe. The sharks are highly protected and the water is not chummed to attract them. Despite that, there are often four of five circling the boat at any one time.
Read all about the cage diving experience at Guadalupe Island.
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