Great whites more brainy than ‘Jaws’ typecast
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Depicting great white sharks lunging out of the water to devour seals doesn’t seem to argue against the species’ reputation as one of the ocean’s most bloodthirsty predators. But Smithsonian magazine does just that in a new story, using the sophisticated way in which great whites hunt to show how they ought to be known more for brains than jaws:
Despite this awesome display of predator power, [marine biologist Alison] Kock and other researchers claim that the shark has been defamed: Its reputation as a ruthless, mindless man-eater is undeserved. In the last decade, Kock and other shark experts have come to realize that sharks rarely hunt humans -- and that the beasts are sociable and curious. Unlike most fish,’ Kock says, ‘white sharks are intelligent, highly inquisitive creatures.’
The presence of great whites have gripped Californians in recent months, with sightings as recently as last week off the Orange County coast. A shark believed to be a great white killed a triathlete in April in the water near Solana Beach. A recent review of shark attacks in California by The Times, however, showed that few attacks are fatal.
--Tony Barboza
