Kayaker Craig Whalley captured this great footage of a huge basking shark off the Isle of Man. Basking sharks can be as long as 30 to 40 feet. The basking shark is the second largest living shark, after the whale shark, and it is the only member of the family Cetorhinidae. Basking sharks eat zooplankton, small fish and invertebrates by holding their huge mouths wide open near the surface of the water. Take a look:
More information about basking sharks, including another video of a basking shark feeding, can be found here on the Florida Museum of Natural History's website.
International conservation group WildAid has released the above photo of shark fins sold in San Francisco Chinatown. The photographs proves that sharks are being finned alive for soup sold in the United States. Most Americans are unaware of the damage caused by the shark fin industry and that shark fin soup is widely available from Chinese restaurants in the U.S. WildAid's recent survey found one third of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco serving the dish priced from $6.95 to $85 a bowl.
Fins from up to 70 million sharks a year are used for shark fin soup often with the bodies of the animal dumped overboard dead or alive. In a recent study from the IUCN Shark Specialist Group the world's top shark scientists reported that of 64 species of open ocean sharks and rays 32% are "threatened with extinction," primarily due to overfishing. In addition, 24% were "near threatened," while another 25% could not be assessed due to lack of data.
Only 3 species of sharks have any kind of international protection. The UN CITES convention recently declined to take any action due to opposition led by Japan.
Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, says you are more likely to be killed by bee stings or falling off a ladder than a shark. He says sharks are the victims not the villains in the modern world. WARNING: This video shows sharks being captured and their fins being removed while they are still alive. Take a look:
Hawaii recently became the first state to ban the sale of shark fin soup.
Champion of the Bill Senator Clayton Hee says, "Hawaii is proud to be at the forefront of the movement to save threatened sharks. For native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders sharks are revered, because we recognize their ecological importance, but we have been silent for too long on the decimation of shark stocks globally."
The BBC reports that scientists have discovered that the Megalodon, a prehistoric monster shark, could bite down with a force between 10.8 to 18.2 tonnes. In comparison, a great white can bite with a force of 1.8 tonnes.
A new study of the extinct creature's skull shows it had an almighty bite, making the prehistoric fish one of the most fearsome predators of all time.
All the more remarkable, scientists say, because the crushing force came from jaws made of cartilage, not bone.
The researchers report their skull work in the Journal of Zoology.
The megalodon super-shark swam in the oceans more than a million-and-a-half years ago.
It grew up to 16m (52ft) in length and weighed in at 100 tonnes - 30 times heavier than the largest great white - and must have been one of the most formidable carnivores to have existed.
The Megalodon was at least twice the size of a great white shark and was clearly the apex predator during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. The Wikipedia entry has a photograph of the Megalodon's massive jaws. Some videos about the Megaldon can be found here, here and here. There's another article here on CryptoWiki.
Author Steve Alten has written a number of novels about Megalodons that have survived by living in a deep ocean trench and threaten humans in today's world. You can read an interview with him here.
A rare frilled shark was recently captured on video by Japanese researchers.
Yet another rare-freaky sea creature has made a rare-freaky video appearance - courtesy Japanese marine researchers - before being promptly declared dead.
At the end of last month, we wrote about video images of a live giant squid - the almost mythic creature that is occasionally found dead but almost never alive. The squid was videotaped off the Ogasawara Islands after Japanese researchers snagged it on a hook, and it fought off being reeled toward the side of the boat.
Now it seems that a rarely-seen, prehistoric-looking goblin of the deep - the frilled shark - was pulled from shallow waters by researchers at the Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, after they were tipped off by a fisherman at a nearby port, who reported "an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth," according to Reuters.
Normally the shark spends its time over 600 metres below the surface. The one time it comes up to the surface where man lives it quickly dies. Was it really crucial that Japanese researchers try and capture the rare shark? Couldn't they just have observed it? Japanese researchers also recently killed a giant squid.
Atlanta is now home to the world's largest indoor aquarium. The new aquarium, called the Georgia Aquarium, holds 8 million gallons of water. CNN has been covering the story live and also has an article about the new aquarium as well as an interactive tour and photo galleries.
"We've been working on this for almost two years. We have 125,000 fish here to give us an opportunity to do something that nobody in this industry has ever done before," Marcus told a press conference.
The facility hosts five viewing galleries along with a 4-D movie theater that explores the sea creatures that inhabit both fresh- and saltwater around the globe.
The aquarium expects 2.4 million visitors in the first year and to bring $1 billion into the city over the next five years. (Full story)
So where did a landlocked city get all that saltwater? It's city water chemically treated with a product that's available at most pet stores.
The aquarium is also home to some large sea creatures including beluga whales named Niko and Gasper and some whale sharks. More information will be available on the Georgia Aquariums's website once it comes back online -- they are moving servers.
The American Elasmobranch Society, a professional organization comprised of international workers studying sharks, skates and rays, and the Florida Museum of Natural History are providing a website called the International Shark Attack File that offers information and statistics about shark attacks. The website includes a geographic map that provides data about unprovoked shark attacks. Florida leads the way with 500 unprovoked attacks since 1882.
The site also provides the following methods for avoiding a shark attack -- many of which just seem like common sense:
Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to attack a solitary individual.
Do not wander too far from shore --- this isolates an individual and additionally places one far away from assistance.
Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage.
Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound or if menstruating --- a shark's olfactory ability is acute.
Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged because the reflected light resembles the sheen of fish scales.
Avoid waters with known effluents or sewage and those being used by sport or commercial fisherman, especially if there are signs of bait fishes or feeding activity. Diving seabirds are good indicators of such action.
Sightings of porpoises do not indicate the absence of sharks --- both often eat the same food items.
Use extra caution when waters are murky and avoid uneven tanning and bright colored clothing --- sharks see contrast particularly well.
Refrain from excess splashing and do not allow pets in the water because of their erratic movements.
Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs --- these are favorite hangouts for sharks.
Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present and evacuate the water if sharks are seen while there. And, of course, do not harass a shark if you see one!
The BBC 
A rare frilled shark was recently 
Atlanta is now home to the world's largest indoor aquarium. The new aquarium, called the Georgia Aquarium, holds 8 million gallons of water. CNN has been covering the story live and also has an 
The American Elasmobranch Society, a professional organization comprised of international workers studying sharks, skates and rays, and the Florida Museum of Natural History are providing a website called the 
