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       Sharks
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Small shark of the lagoon (1,5 m ).  It swim away when going towards it (personnal experience).

Of course, it is better seeing it in front of us because one can watch its behaviour.


Do you know the great white shark ? no ? then click !!  (Nouméa market)

how can he open such a mouth ? due to the shape of its jaws that are not a solid part of the skull (not fixed on). If the upper jaw is, like for us, only the lower jaw, hinged, may drop freely. A clever move forward of the gums and teeth are associated with the opening of the jaw.

Stone shark (from Marquesas).

Polynesians have generally a very different thinking that ourselves with Sharks and dont agree with these "food feeding", organised for tourists.


 

There are many sites well documented on the sharks; I underline simply a few of their characteristics:

- They do not have an osseous skeleton as fish (it is cartilagineux), nor a swim bladder, with some exception, and their breathing openings have a particular shape. For these two last reasons, they are obliged to swim constantly. For this reason too, one can sometimes meets them in the pass where they can stay still with little movement and where they are oxygenated with less effort.

- There are three family of sharks regarding the reproduction : two of them are oviparous animals (depending on the moment of the eggs hatch) ; The third one is viviparous sharks which are "modern" sharks (the "babies" birth alive, in the same condition than humans !) .

So, mom shark can have (*) two distinct " maternities ": within each one of it, " the babies " devour each other with pleasure so that there will remain only two of them for the birth, well entrained !!

Baby shark "dogfish" will spend... 9 months in these little transparent pocket hooked in the water.

The largest sharks disappeared a long time ago and they do not have any more toothache. Such much the better for them because their teeth are sold !! They
bear the charming name of megalodon and their fossilised teeth are also reproduced out of resin of synthesis... if they arebeautiful, like this one, it is resin.  Could reach 18 metres and weight 20 tons.

Revolving gums. The teeth of sharks are aligned on several lines as one can see on the photograph (top of page). The teeth of the interior lines are lying, because the gums pushes "back" forwards and proceeds slowly like a travelling carpet. The teeth of the bas lines, in creation, are upstanding gradually, become active then disappear !! practical. Who says better ?

The senses. A specialist on the waves : they have a keen sense of smell (much more than dogs) : they detect blood from a distance of several hundreds meters (a drop of blood in several hundreds millions drops of water), they detect both a very small voltage of electricity (*) and the terrestrial magnetic field/. (This fact seems confirmed both by the marks left by their teeth in hulls of boats close to metal parts, and on transoceanic telephone cables). this sensibility to electricity and magnetism would belong to some fish too.

(*) Sharks have "bulbs of Lorinzini" (Italian, 1678) laid out under the skin, mostly on their head. These bulbs detect not only the terrestrial magnetic field, but also the very low magnetic field, emitted by any animal. They also detect electric field (1 or 2 microvolt/cm) and recently, they say that with these bulbs, they detect also temperature variation. See also

 

Peal of a shark. A bit raspy isn't ?

the sharks spare their forces and swim nonchanlantly; they oxygenate themselves sometimes without moving while holding in pass of the reefs; according to a TV report on the aquarium of Sydney (ARTE, 7 07 2004), a shark eats 2% of its weight per week, whereas a dolphin "frolic" reaches 10%

There are 380 species of sharks; 20 of these species are dangerous for the man, ie 3 ¨% of them.

The largest of the sharks is the shark whale (up to 15 meters): he is inoffensive and eats plankton. Also inoffensive is the sand shark, which finishes in the " fish and chips "!! So much that its population fell of 90 % in 10 years around the USA (Today in English).

According to statistics' of the " Florida Museum of Natural History ", approximately 100 people are attacked by sharks each year, the majority in hot water of Australia, South Africa and the USA. 15 to 20 of these attacks are mortals.

Among them, one count the grey one (2 to 2,5 m), very powerful, the tiger one (carcharinus, 3 to 3,5 m), the hammerhead (with an inordinately widened head that would give it a better ability in measuring distances), the white shark which attacks even the boats ! a " large white " feels the presence of blood to 400 meters (and one of eight meters can swallow a man in entirety).

Comment : with these abilities, on understand perfectly that it is better not to attach fish fished to the belt ; better let them floating behind oneself


The debate on the risks involved with sharks is eternal, and approximate figures. However, the fear they inspire justifies all the fears, and that is what counts to feed the topic extensively. Obviously, as you can always make out, you have more chance of being killed by bees than by a shark, especially if you never venture into the sea Therefore remain at sea in order not to fall into confusion over the total. At sea, you're more likely to drown you stupidly, with the waves, exhaustion, with a current, diving too deep or too long - is often high time that the surface is coming! or by accident unpredictable, stuck at the bottom with his rifle over submarine (a friend) -. But we can mainly be fatally stung by another engeance, with a wide choice for a variety of jellyfish, the most dangerous may be almost invisible. In the oceans, it is reported benches several metres thick. Rate your chance of survival! While surfing one day to the West, I saw scroll because once every two or three metres.

Being cut to death by "Jaws" in water, environment unusual, we seem to be the epitome of horror; It is claimed he does not want to eat humans, "he the goûterait simply "(presumably to get an idea, like a surfboard?). But it does not alter the case. Are we less horrified by the unfortunate children and even adults - each year are torn apart by dogs? back to the shark. Some say that this is a nice animal and they are not wrong at all. All can be, even humans. At the moment, in early 2008, a man tells his joys with sharks and is in the water - of course - with a shark he holds in his arms, his ceaseless caressing, which seems the appreciate him making his folâtres mamours. They will see a day in watersheds with dolphins. This is rather sad. From there to try the thing with a great white shark off, there is not that I do not franchirai. What would it add? if they are not hungry, and if we do not represented, for any reason, a threat to them, there must be little chance that they want us to taste

 In Australia, certain zones of bathe are supervised by helicopter and nets are dawned in water. In Durban also, on the coast of Kwazulu-Native, on the Indian Ocean side, the nets are 200 meters of the shore for attacks which often take place at the end of the afternoon. There is now an average of three accidents per year, seldom mortals. On the other hand, the accidents increased in the Cape Provinces Eastern and Western (National geographic, June 2000).

It seems  that the surfer run a higher risk because the sharks would believe their (animated) board is a beautiful fish or rather a tortoise, especially if, sitting onto, they lets hang their feet in the water. The summer 2004, in Australia, a surfist was devoured by sharks, seemingly without any warning (hereafter, another assumption quite as probable, because this unhappy was in their territory.



Here is the point, for the moment .. : a specialist told us on the TV that with their senses very acute they could not be fooled by this plastic bord !!. This man told also that the shark would attack only if we wander around within itsterritory.

Well, at a TV documentary (July 8, 2001, Canal+, France) with the shark photograph from the National Geographic, they showed us an attack of shark on a surf board !! and what's more, we could see the shark jumping in the air to drop on the board like a dolphin (we think generally that the shark goes always from the deep water.

A couple of fans have watched this scene on open sea near South Africa, where the white shark is hunting sea lion in winter, due to the lack of fish in this period.

On right hand, sharks travel long distances to feed on with seabirds gathered at the time of birth.
 


Small shark of the lagoon, 1m50 max, known for the color of their dorsal fin, white or black,  represent hardly a risk ; well nourished, they go away when we follow them. One often sees some of them when diving. However, some balack fins have been reported as dangerous. TV photo.

A friends of mine encountered one in a narrow passage; surprised and feared too, it drew an arrow randomly in the rock. The shark made a U-turn, either by the noise of the arrow, or because it found the intruder too large. We retained this last version, the man being large and corpulent.

I had myself a bad experience with two large sharks (3 m), lately identified a little too close whereas they were oxygenated in a pass, still. One do not see very far away under the water and I believed that they was two beautiful fishes !! It too me a long time to recover the fear.

A Shark attack could be made at 30 km/h.


- The shark may as well just swim in its water level, belly rubbing sand and fin out. Sharks medium sized black tip and white tip, young bull sharks and so on. venture as well, sometimes inflicting serious wounds to the feet or legs. See below.

As for the terrified man, it butchers approximately 100 million sharks each year, including 2,5 million for the sport. A great majority is fished by the Asian ones which cuts their 2 fins (3000 FF/kg) and reject them to the sea where they will not survive (Today in English, 11/99).


Cooking the shark. At the restaurant, we can have shark as well as swordfish, given the general shortage of fish. At least it is fishing - we hope - and not butchering for fins. Anyway, they are right now a few thinkink to protected sharks against humans. Quick restaurants "fish and chips" have ravaged almost all of some sharks. The "fish" being shark. And there's also doubt in other foods.
"Today in english" November 99 : The vast majority of the 100 million sharks killed each year would be the fact that Asians cutting their 2 main fins and released them to the sea where they will not survive. Today, many fishermen no longer hesitate to cut off their fins and tails for resaling them to Chinese ! Others do so only if the beast, taken by accident, is injured or dead. According to another source, there are fins at 300 euros per kilo in Paris (2007) and 600 dollars per pound in Los Angeles !  Polynesia will bring a law prohibiting the transfer, import and export. The massacre is unfortunately general because if the fin shark soup was once reserved for the privileged humans, there are now everywhere, with a population that has strongly increased .
Right hand, picture of a "shark-trunk", Without any fins, il it going down straight to live iis fatal agony. Couldn't they themselves revenge ?  Do they have this consciousness, as well as many other powerless animals facing monstruosity ?

Good recipes.
The shark blood. Surprised by an engine failure of their aluminum boat, three fishermen of the small Nauru republic experienced an eleven days drifting over 1600 kilometers; they survived by catching tuna and a shark; the blood shark allowed them to drink somme liquid. 31 01 08, "Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes."

Attacks in New Caledonia. Night Info in France. In February 2007, a military was allegedly attacked off shore, but thanks to his cold-blooded, it would have miraculously free himself crushing it an eye. I have not had confirmation by consulting the local press. The information was not relayed the day. Night of 1st October 2007 (from overseas radio): a nurse trainee housed in a tribe at Lifou, swam with a colleague when she was attacked by a large shark. The unfortunate did not survive, leg and femoral artery cut. His co-crew was able to regain the land and get help warning but it was too late. This coast of Lifou was banned for bathing a few days, then reopened. Tourism rules.
May 2008, Houaïlou - I believe) A Kanak was fishing on foot in very shallow water when he saw three bulldog sharks arriving straight to him, right on his legs, biting at the foot and calf (I heard his interview). He attempted to ty his wound but was very weak and survived thanks to his companions who took him to the clinic on the boat. Shortly before, at Canala, another fisherman was bitten near his foot.
It was leery already long ago, with water at mid calf, a tiny shark could bite a good piece of flesh. However, nothing had been reported during my three and half years stay (this is not to say we were aware of everything  happening in the country).

 - The shark tastes and again help itself. 13 05 08. Western Australia, Middleton beach. A 50 years supervisor bathing, mother of three children, swam to the rescue of a man attacked by a 4 meters "great white", 80 meters from the edge. After she kept him back on the shore (!), she saw that large chunks were torn from the leg of the victim on the knee and calf. Three great white shark were repelled away.
-- Queensland, Australia. 29 01 08. A young fisherman had just cast its sized in the boat, a 90 kg shark, when it abruptly swung back and closed its jaws on his calf to the bone. The rescue helicopter had to cut the head of the shark to make it release its bite.
-- 09 04 08. A 16 years Australian surfer died nearby Brisbane, east coast of Australia, bitten in the legs and body. "Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes."
- A surfer has died after being attacked by a shark. Half of his board was bitten off. The victim was left with a serious wound to his leg. he died from his injury.  
- Australia, beginning in November 2010: Elyse Frankcom, a young woman attacked by a shark than 3 meters was saved by a man who caught the animal by the tail until he let go his prey. Bitten on the hip and buttock, she Transported by helicopter and underwent six hours of surgery. A tooth was stuck in his buttocks. His savior has just said he wanted it to go well. She wrote on her Facebook page: "If I'll get Attacked or die, at least I'll die happy and I love doing The Thing."

RULE : to look around oneself and especially avoid the pass and the deep outside of the reef, mainly if one is not a professional or at least used to for long, nor not surrounded by plungers, because "frightening encounters" are not the same as the seemingly peaceful small white point, swimming around in the lagoon.

It's so rare hilaring. Nearly one of the most popular beach in Sydney, Cronulla beach, a small one metre shark was found in a pool, thrown inside by a big wave! The pool is installed in the rocks, on the seafront, and reports Rotyn Cole, swimmers come very early in the morning, when it is night. Maybe they have not seen anything that day .. 15 07 08, "Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes."


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