Sharon's Sharebook 

SHARK TRIVIA
 
Did Jaws have a name?

The mechanical shark in the 1975 hit movie Jaws was named Bruce.

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Which Great White was the largest ever caught?

The largest Great White Shark ever caught measured 37 feet and weighed 24,000 pounds. It was found in a herring weir in New Brunswick in 1930. The harmless Whale Shark, holds the title of largest fish, with the record being a 59-footer captured in Thailand in 1919.

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Can you ever let your guard down around a shark?

Certainly not -- Sharks can be dangerous even before they are born. Scientist Stewart Springer was bitten by a sand tiger shark embryo while he was examining its pregnant mother.

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Are all sharks dangerous to people?

Of the 250-plus known species of shark in the world, only about 18 are known to be dangerous to man

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Are there any examples of cryptozooligic 'success stories?'

There are several animals cited as examples for continuing cryptozoological efforts: The coelacanth, a "living fossil," was identified from a specimen found in a fishing net in 1938 off the coast of South Africa; Of an even older lineage than the coelacanth are the Graptolites, living representatives of which were first found in 1882, although the group had previously been presumed to have been extinct for 300 million years; The 1976 discovery of the previously unknown megamouth shark, discovered off Oahu, Hawaii, when it became entangled in a ship's anchor; and supporters have noted that many unfamiliar animals, when first reported, were considered hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications. The platypus, giant squid (and colossal squid), mountain gorilla, and komodo dragon are a few such creatures.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT MOST SHARK ATTACKS REPORTED ARE MINOR?

Most shark attacks are reported as just that.."shark attacks" whether  or not they are minor or fatal. recent shark attacks have gone down in past year. the total number of attacks from 65 during 2004 to 58 in 2005 and fatalities from seven to four, said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File housed at UF's Florida Museum of Natural History.

In contrast, there were 78 shark attacks -- 11 of them fatal -- during 2000, the all-time high record year for attacks since statistics have been kept.

Despite the worldwide decline, the number of attacks in the United States rose slightly, from 30 in 2004 to 38 last year. But that is still much lower than the recorded high of 52 in 2000.

In addition to last year's 38 U.S. attacks, Burgess tracked 10 in Australia, four in South Africa and one each in the Bahamas, St. Martin, Mexico, Fiji, Vanuatu and South Korea.