sh sh sh sh shaaaaark

[Marduk]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223001/Great-White-Shark-bitten-nearly-half-BIGGER-monster.html

A 'monster' great white shark measuring up to 20 ft long is on the prowl off a popular Queensland beach, according to officials.
Swimmers were warned to stay out of the water off Stradbroke Island after the shark mauled another smaller great white which had been hooked on a baited drum line.
The 10-foot great white was almost bitten in half.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/28/article-1223001-06FA4652000005DC-17_634x415.jpg


as a regular sufferer of galeophobia I am suddenly terrified of the prospect of being bitten in half by this monster, true I do live at least 12,000 miles away from this incident and am additionally 30 miles inland, but you can never be too careful when it comes to being bitten in half.
:eek:
sod the bigger boat, I need a bigger country with a much, much much bigger sea wall
wheres chief Brody when you need him ?

[calebprime]

Even though I know that shark is dead, I can't help reading its expression (open mouth) as one of horror and surprise.

Damn, that's a big bite.

Great pic.

I knew sharks attacked each other in feeding frenzies, but do they opportunistically attack each other whenever they think they can get away with it?

Any shark experts?

[commandlinegamer]

Distressing as it may be to be eaten by a shark, I'm more worried about jellyfish, especially the ones the size of your fingernail which seem to be only slightly less toxic than plutonium.

[Ziggurat]

as a regular sufferer of galeophobia I am suddenly terrified of the prospect of being bitten in half by this monster, true I do live at least 12,000 miles away from this incident and am additionally 30 miles inland, but you can never be too careful when it comes to being bitten in half.

"Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see." -- Jack Handey

[lionking]

I'll by up that way next month. Don't think I'll pack my swimming trunks.

[Ladewig]

Am I the only one who thinks that picture was photoshopped?

[madurobob]

candygram

/landshark

[Capsid]

Am I the only one who thinks that picture was photoshopped?No. The bite marks look too clean, there should be a mess of guts on the ventral bite but all I see is pink muscle.

[A.A. Alfie]

No. The bite marks look too clean, there should be a mess of guts on the ventral bite but all I see is pink muscle.

If the shark had been caught in the water for a while, there wouldn't be too much left of the entrails etc. Smaller fish etc would have cleaned up a lot.

There have been a number of reports on the news about this (I'm half a continent south of this btw) and it seems true enough - iow I don't doubt it.

I do a bit of fishing and if a shark has taken (half) my catch in some deepish water there will be very little blood and guts visible until motion ceases (i.e. when you get it on board), so I wouldn't expect to see too much in this case either. They've been dragging the thing in after being caught in nets.

[Marduk]

I knew sharks attacked each other in feeding frenzies, but do they opportunistically attack each other whenever they think they can get away with it?
they would attack Chuck Norris if they thought they could get away with it


Any shark experts?
I've seen Jaws about a million times, does that count ?
:D

[Arthur Denton]

Distressing as it may be to be eaten by a shark, I'm more worried about jellyfish, especially the ones the size of your fingernail which seem to be only slightly less toxic than plutonium.

Wuss.








XD

[Eyeron]

Just punch the shark on the nose and it'll go away.

[Ziggurat]

Just punch the shark on the nose and it'll go away.

Good luck reaching it when it's riding an elephant. And punching an elephant in the nose doesn't work, their noses punch back.

[Piscivore]

Am I the only one who thinks that picture was photoshopped?

No. That's not what the inside of a fish looks like. Where are the spine, or the bones? Even broken off you should see stubs of bones. The scratches and such on the tail look real, the two big bites- Total BPS.

[A.A. Alfie]

No. That's not what the inside of a fish looks like. Where are the spine, or the bones? Even broken off you should see stubs of bones. The scratches and such on the tail look real, the two big bites- Total BPS.

Sharks don't have bones.

[Marduk]

No. That's not what the inside of a fish looks like. Where are the spine, or the bones? Even broken off you should see stubs of bones. The scratches and such on the tail look real, the two big bites- Total BPS.

nice idea, but I feel its hardly conclusive as sharks dont actually have ribs,
or bones
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/evolution/evol-image/skeleton_meg.gif
:rolleyes:

[cwalner]

as a regular sufferer of galeophobia I am suddenly terrified of the prospect of being bitten in half by this monster,
Let me put your mind at ease.

If he can do that to a 10' shark, there is no way he is biting you in half. He will swallow you whole. Feel better now?.

[Marduk]

Let me put your mind at ease.

If he can do that to a 10' shark, there is no way he is biting you in half. He will swallow you whole. Feel better now?.

I'm sending out for sandbags as we speak
:eek:

[sanguine]

Am I the only one who thinks that picture was photoshopped?

That is absolutely (and clumsily) photoshopped. But then, it's the Daily Mail. They routinely photoshop pictures, so much so that they're the star attraction over at Photoshop Disasters.

[quixotecoyote]

The brightness on the edges of the big bites and the head of the shark look out of place. It's either photoshopped or a weird picture.

[arthwollipot]

Am I the only one who thinks that picture was photoshopped?Looks totally wrong to me.

[Amapola]

I agree, the picture looks wrong. Although sharks don't have bones, they do have cartilage, and it's of course quite sturdy to support the large body. I've seen sharks cut up (my father was a marine biologist so I had the opportunity to see marine life as I was growing up) and they just don't look like that... Plus, how would the shark be able to flex its head up like that, with all that tissue missing? This photo looks photoshopped to me too.

[calebprime]

...

[DogB]

Here’s a slightly different angle.

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/2009/10/monster-shark-chomps-into-great-white.html

I’ve sent an e-mail to Fisheries and asked them to confirm the details.

[ElMondoHummus]

It does look fake to me; that shark doesn't look bitten, it looks hollow. But, I'm willing to accept it as legitimate if more images, or a video were provided.

ETA: Ah. DogB posted before I hit the button. Anyway, sure, if there are other pieces of evidence to support this, then I'll buy it and write off my suspicion as a bad read of the photo.

[DogB]

ETA: Ah. DogB posted before I hit the button. Anyway, sure, if there are other pieces of evidence to support this, then I'll buy it and write off my suspicion as a bad read of the photo.

I should also say that when the story ( http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26254415-5007190,00.html) first broke here (I live a few dozen kilometres from the site) the estimated size of the second shark was 5 metres. That's big but certainly not unprecedented. The 20ft size estimation seems to have been a later addition to the story.

[SezMe]

Here’s a slightly different angle.

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/2009/10/monster-shark-chomps-into-great-white.html

I’ve sent an e-mail to Fisheries and asked them to confirm the details.
That one looks even worse to me. From the wake of the boat, it is moving smartly through the water. Yet look at the "splash" of water inside the right side bite. Just doesn't look right.

[Skeptic Ginger]

There's more than enough evidence between the two news stories to show it is not likely a photoshopped hoax.

[calebprime]

I simply couldn't believe it was still alive with those huge chunks out of it, but sharks are tough.

I guess I thought the boat might be towing it, and its mouth was hanging open, and the turbulence was generated by the towing, not thrashing...

[athon]

Looks totally plausible to me. Then again, coming from Queensland and having seen my fair share of boats, fish and sharks (my old man was an avid fisherman), this isn't the first time I've seen a shark-bite in another shark. It's quite common, in fact. Never seen one that size, mind you.

As for those saying it doesn't look like the inside of a shark, I'm not quite sure what you're expecting, but it looks like it to me. Sharks are basically one long muscle. That part of the shark would be taken up with mostly its liver - once it falls out/is eaten, you'd just have a big cavity like the one in the picture. As for 'it's too clean', you have seen what a shark bite does? They don't exactly sit there chewing away.

It's like saying 'doesn't look like surgery - the cuts are too clean'.

Athon

[JoeTheJuggler]

I've seen Jaws about a million times, does that count ?

Remember that woman in the first scene? Did you know she had dandruff?


They found her head and shoulders on the beach.

[DogB]

I simply couldn't believe it was still alive with those huge chunks out of it, but sharks are tough.

I am, by no means convinced it was actually alive. There's no mention of that fact in the original story.

Hopefully I’ll get to ask the chap who dragged the thing up in the first place.

[BenBurch]

We're going to need a bigger boat.

[MattusMaximus]

No. The bite marks look too clean, there should be a mess of guts on the ventral bite but all I see is pink muscle.

I was thinking the same thing. Not to mention there's a distinct lack of blood in the water...

[cwalner]

Also may I point out that while we do have two seperate news sources, they are the Daily Mail and a cryptozoology site. Neither of which have much credibility. I personally don't know enough about them to determine if they are faked, but others have provided reasonable explanations of why they are. That combined with the trustworthiness (or complete lack thereof) of the sources have me veering towards faked.

[DogB]

Also may I point out that while we do have two seperate news sources, they are the Daily Mail and a cryptozoology site. Neither of which have much credibility. I personally don't know enough about them to determine if they are faked, but others have provided reasonable explanations of why they are. That combined with the trustworthiness (or complete lack thereof) of the sources have me veering towards faked.

In a post above I linked the story that was in all likelihood the source for both the others mentioned.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26254415-5007190,00.html

While I'm hardly going to defend the honour of the courier mail, it’s perhaps a touch more trustworthy than the other sources.

[Giraffe107]

Well there is a big shark out there:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/26/2724638.htm
Whale carcasses left to rot in south-east Queensland's Moreton Bay could be attracting a monster shark believed to be lurking in the area.

A three-metre plus white pointer caught on drum line off Stradbroke Island was found dead and covered in massive bite marks last week.

Queensland Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said the bite marks had a radius of 50 centimetres and the distinctive triangular shape of a white pointer.

"The experts believe it would have taken a white pointer at least five metres long to cause this kind of damage," he said.

[MattusMaximus]

I'd still like to know where the hell is all the blood. C'mon, with wounds that damn big, the water should be more red than blue!

[DogB]

Which I why I think it's long dead. I mean look at the thing, it's practically been chopped in half. How long do you think anything can live (and continue the bleed) after that had happened?

Edit: Actually the ABC story above specifically states that it was found dead. That's why there's no blood.

A three-metre plus white pointer caught on drum line off Stradbroke Island was found dead and covered in massive bite marks last week.

My bolding

[MattusMaximus]

Which I why I think it's long dead. I mean look at the thing, it's practically been chopped in half. How long do you think anything can live (and continue the bleed) after that had happened?

Edit: Actually the ABC story above specifically states that it was found dead. That's why there's no blood.

My bolding

Which is in direct contradiction to other articles covering this story when they reported the shark was still alive when it was caught. They describe it as thrashing and fighting to get away from the boat.

Pardon the pun, but something's fishy here :duck:

[LTC8K6]

The shark doesn't look that big to me, so in my mind the shark that bit it is not quite as impressive as implied.

[William Parcher]

I'm skeptical that we are seeing two distinct and complete bites. I suspect that it was multiple bites that caused both the dorsal and ventral wounds. If the observer assumes that each wound is a single bite, then the size of the attacking shark might be overestimated.

Queensland Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said the bite marks had a radius of 50 centimetres and the distinctive triangular shape of a white pointer.

Hmmm... I'm not so sure about the white pointer bite being triangular. That upper jaw/tooth line is an arch, not a triangle. Distinct single bites on pinnipeds are much more round-shaped than triangular. You can find some images of their bite wounds on mammals on the web.

I don't see why the attacking shark could not be large, but 20 feet is very large and probably uncommon these days. There should be peer review of the bite marks to better qualify the estimated size of the attacker.

[BenBurch]

The shark doesn't look that big to me, so in my mind the shark that bit it is not quite as impressive as implied.

Its not the shark, its the shark who bit him.

[jasonpatterson]

No. The bite marks look too clean, there should be a mess of guts on the ventral bite but all I see is pink muscle.

I have had an alligator bite a largemouth bass in half as I reeled it in, you'd be surprised at how quickly all the guts and blood get washed off (especially when it's being towed behind a power boat, as in the picture above.)

[athon]

I find it curious how many people here are chasing their tails being skeptical. I mean, I can understand asking questions, but honestly, if you've never been out fishing and never seen this sort of thing, why jump to claiming it's a photoshopped fake?

Honestly, I see nothing weird here. Nothing. This sort of thing happens quite often - you'll pull in a shark with a few bite marks here and there, simply because other sharks have gotten caught up in the frenzy. The shark dies after a while, blood stops pumping out, the blood nearest the tissue washes out and the organs fall away. Right in the middle of that bite there would have mostly been the liver, which I guarantee would have been pulled out with the bite and have disappeared, leaving a cavity.

Nothing but a case of jumping at shadows. Now, it COULD have been photoshopped, but there's nothing here to indicate it was.

Athon

[Dr Adequate]

I don't see why the attacking shark could not be large, but 20 feet is very large and probably uncommon these days. There should be peer review of the bite marks to better qualify the estimated size of the attacker. Peer review of the bite marks? You mean ... by an independent panel of experienced sharks?

[Dogdoctor]

It doesn't look right to me. For one thing sharks have white meat and the bite should have guts hanging out and the pattern of white water around the shark doesn't seem right. As far as a shark still being able to open it's mouth, they can be dead and do that but the arching of the back doesn't seem right for a severely injured shark. It doesn't fit with my framework of reality so I am skeptical of it.

[A.A. Alfie]

I'd still like to know where the hell is all the blood. C'mon, with wounds that damn big, the water should be more red than blue!

Seems like it had probably been dead a while - it was caught in nets.
Once it's dead it stops bleeding - it may even have been nearly devoid of blood and rigor mortised hence the funny angled head.

I still reckon it's real and absolutely plausible. Frankly I don't doubt the story at all.

[A.A. Alfie]

Which is in direct contradiction to other articles covering this story when they reported the shark was still alive when it was caught. They describe it as thrashing and fighting to get away from the boat.

Pardon the pun, but something's fishy here :duck:

From what I read it actually said "thrashing about".
It looks like it is being towed in to dock rather than trying to 'escape'; the 'thrashing' is simply wake. You don't catch sharks by the tail with ropes and it had in fact been caught in the nets. Should the shark have been caught in the nets (and alive) they would have simply cut it free rather than risk any danger.

Nothing sceptical here folks except a trashy newspaper sensationalising a story.

[DogB]

I've received a reply e-mail from the Principal Communication Officer from fisheries. She confirms the photo is real and unmodified. In fact she sent me a much larger JPEG version which clearly shows the teeth marks.

The shark was dead when it was retrieved.

End of story IMHO.

[arthwollipot]

Fair enough then. It goes to show - sometimes a shark is just a shark.

[A.A. Alfie]

I've received a reply e-mail from the Principal Communication Officer from fisheries. She confirms the photo is real and unmodified. In fact she sent me a much larger JPEG version which clearly shows the teeth marks.

The shark was dead when it was retrieved.

End of story IMHO.

Where's the photo Dude?

[DogB]

Where's the photo Dude?

It's about 1 meg. You really want it?

[Dogdoctor]

I've received a reply e-mail from the Principal Communication Officer from fisheries. She confirms the photo is real and unmodified. In fact she sent me a much larger JPEG version which clearly shows the teeth marks.

The shark was dead when it was retrieved.

End of story IMHO.

I see so it was stiff from being dead and towed behind a boat. That's plausible but being alive when they took the picture and moving around nope not likely. It was hooked but dead before bringing in it in and not thrashing like the article on the crypto page says. Sharks are quite interesting because they have primitive neurological systems which retain functions for a while without blood supply but structurally they need to be intact. Sometimes people get bit by dead sharks.
However since you have a JPEG where is it? Is it out of the water or the same towed behind a boat picture?

[A.A. Alfie]

It's about 1 meg. You really want it?

Nahhhh.
Thanks though, your input's been invaluable.
You are offically on my 'hero' list.

Now... can you help solve the AGW or Israel/Palestine debates?

[quadraginta]

I knew sharks attacked each other in feeding frenzies, but do they opportunistically attack each other whenever they think they can get away with it?
they would attack Chuck Norris if they thought they could get away with it




And to think that people are so negative about them.

See, there's a silver lining right there.

[quadraginta]

Remember that woman in the first scene? Did you know she had dandruff?


They found her head and shoulders on the beach.



Shark bait. That might be punishment enough.

ETA: Live bait, of course.

[Akhenaten]

Sharks? Meh.


http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/CrocShark1.jpg


http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/CrocShark2.jpg


http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/CrocShark3.jpg


http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/CrocShark4.jpg

[A.A. Alfie]

http://forums.randi.org/album.php?albumid=281

Mine's bigger than yours

[Puppycow]

There's more than enough evidence between the two news stories to show it is not likely a photoshopped hoax.

I'm surprised how many people jumped to the conclusion that it's photoshopped because "it doesn't look right."

[Capsid]

I've received a reply e-mail from the Principal Communication Officer from fisheries. She confirms the photo is real and unmodified. In fact she sent me a much larger JPEG version which clearly shows the teeth marks.

The shark was dead when it was retrieved.

End of story IMHO.I don't doubt the story. But the picture shown is of a live shark IMO, not a dead one. Can't you compress the IMB picture and post it, I'd like to see it for comparison?

[A.A. Alfie]

I don't doubt the story. But the picture shown is of a live shark IMO, not a dead one. Can't you compress the IMB picture and post it, I'd like to see it for comparison?

Dead as the flake I had for dinner tonight. (fyi flake is the gummy shark (fish) we have with fish and chips)

[athon]

I'm surprised how many people jumped to the conclusion that it's photoshopped because "it doesn't look right."

Especially when others who have seen similar things say it looks right to them are ignored. Most perplexing.

Athon

[DogB]

This thumbnail should link to a full sized image.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.4223d45e5b.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?4223d45e5b.jpg)

[Akhenaten]

Here's the relevant bit cropped from the above full-size pic:

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/Sharkbite.jpg


I admit the edges of the bite look a bit dodgy, but sharks really do take clean, sharp bites like that.

In any case, I have no reason to doubt the evidence of the photo because it's not that extraordinary an occurrence.

[Akhenaten]

http://forums.randi.org/album.php?albumid=281

Mine's bigger than yours





:D


Dead as the flake I had for dinner tonight. (fyi flake is the gummy shark (fish) we have with fish and chips)





Tomorrow night for me!

[A.A. Alfie]

:D





Tomorrow night for me!

Catholic?

[LTC8K6]

I don't think it's photoshopped, just exaggerated. I don't think the shark is that big, I don't think the bite is that big, and therefore I don't think the shark that did the biting is as big as claimed.

The bitten shark's body also looks to be bent, making the bite mark open up and look bigger.

[UnrepentantSinner]

It doesn't look right to me. For one thing sharks have white meat...

Is the beef association aware of this???

I don't doubt the story. But the picture shown is of a live shark IMO, not a dead one. Can't you compress the IMB picture and post it, I'd like to see it for comparison?

And you've seen how many photos of live sharks with large chunks bit out of them?

I don't think it's photoshopped, just exaggerated. I don't think the shark is that big, I don't think the bite is that big, and therefore I don't think the shark that did the biting is as big as claimed.

The bitten shark's body also looks to be bent, making the bite mark open up and look bigger.

And you've seen how many photos of sharks in similar situations?

[Akhenaten]

Catholic?





No, atheist, but credit where it's due and the Cafflicks have ensured that the flake is always better on a Friday. Go them.


ETA:


http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/BuddyChrist.jpg
Sh sh sh shark? Yummy!

[A.A. Alfie]

No, atheist, but credit where it's due and the Cafflicks have ensured that the flake is always better on a Friday. Go them.

Too busy at the fisho's on Fridays.
Home delivered pizza for me.
Or if I can be fagged, head down to the local Leb, Greek, Mex, or Indian.

I love food.

[LTC8K6]

It doesn't take much googling to find other pics of sharks bitten in half.

[commandlinegamer]

I don't think it's photoshopped, just exaggerated. I don't think the shark is that big, I don't think the bite is that big, and therefore I don't think the shark that did the biting is as big as claimed.

Sharks are bigger than you think. Basking sharks patrol the UK coast and an adult could easily stand upright in the mouth. Fortunately, they don't eat us at the moment.

[A.A. Alfie]

Sharks are bigger than you think. Basking sharks patrol the UK coast and an adult could easily stand upright in the mouth. Fortunately, they don't eat us at the moment.

Basking sharks are a bit runtish compared to our whale sharks.
Biggest Basking shark (say) 9m
Biggest Whale shark (say) 12.5m

Twice as big as the great white max.
Luckily they both eat Krill, not each other (or people)

[Capsid]

Is the beef association aware of this???



And you've seen how many photos of live sharks with large chunks bit out of them?



And you've seen how many photos of sharks in similar situations?I have seen several photos of sharks with chunks out of them plus a few of seals with shark bites. I just looked at about 30 pages of google images to try and work out what the range of shark bites looked like, but I'm no expert. Of footage I've seen of sharks they can chow down on a hunk of meat and chomp on it so this bite looked quite clean for that biting behaviour. However, sharks can take quite clean bites too but I thought this fish looked a bit too big for that. All the same I was really questioning the report that the fish was dead, it still looks like it's thrashing around; the 2 reports linked to in this thread contradict each other one saying the shark is dead the other it was alive. Although I suppose it could be alive when caught as in the picture posted and then died on arrival at a harbour.

[A.A. Alfie]

I have seen several photos of sharks with chunks out of them plus a few of seals with shark bites. I just looked at about 30 pages of google images to try and work out what the range of shark bites looked like, but I'm no expert. Of footage I've seen of sharks they can chow down on a hunk of meat and chomp on it so this bite looked quite clean for that biting behaviour. However, sharks can take quite clean bites too but I thought this fish looked a bit too big for that. All the same I was really questioning the report that the fish was dead, it still looks like it's thrashing around; the 2 reports linked to in this thread contradict each other one saying the shark is dead the other it was alive. Although I suppose it could be alive when caught as in the picture posted and then died on arrival at a harbour.


It is dead. It was dead when they cut it free from the nets.
It is being dragged backwards through the water attached to the back of a boat.
The 'thrashing' you think you see is the wake of the shark (and the boat) on top of the water.
Shark flesh is pinky white - they are all cartledge - no bones.
They can take huge clean chunks out of whales - they are like giant pirhana -they will bite and shake, sawing through flesh like a hot knife through butter with multi layered razor sharp teeth.
Don't compare their real abilities to what you might have seen in Jaws - they do not chomp.

They are killing machines

[Damien Evans]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223001/Great-White-Shark-bitten-nearly-half-BIGGER-monster.html


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/28/article-1223001-06FA4652000005DC-17_634x415.jpg


as a regular sufferer of galeophobia I am suddenly terrified of the prospect of being bitten in half by this monster, true I do live at least 12,000 miles away from this incident and am additionally 30 miles inland, but you can never be too careful when it comes to being bitten in half.
:eek:
sod the bigger boat, I need a bigger country with a much, much much bigger sea wall
wheres chief Brody when you need him ?

How did the small one get on a baited drum line I wonder? Great Whites are protected in Australia, so if it was an intended catch the fisherman may be in a bit of trouble.


ETA: Never mind, it was caught in one of those disgusting nets the northern states use

[ElMondoHummus]

It's about 1 meg. You really want it?

Actually, I would like it personally, if there's a way to get it to me.

I'm surprised how many people jumped to the conclusion that it's photoshopped because "it doesn't look right."

As I said before, it looked weird to me. But also, again as I said before, I'm willing to be swayed by the evidence. There's a difference between being skeptical and jumping to a conclusion. I personally was merely being skeptical, not passing final judgement.

[Damien Evans]

I'll by up that way next month. Don't think I'll pack my swimming trunks.

So will I, but I will be taking the boardies.

Seriously, the chances of being attacked or only slightly higher than your chance of winning lotto.

[ElMondoHummus]

Here's the relevant bit cropped from the above full-size pic:

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/Sharkbite.jpg


I admit the edges of the bite look a bit dodgy, but sharks really do take clean, sharp bites like that.

In any case, I have no reason to doubt the evidence of the photo because it's not that extraordinary an occurrence.

Okay, here the shark body doesn't look hollow (which was one of the things that looked funny to me before). You can make out some flesh inside. If there are more images - or again, a video - I think that would seal the deal.

[Damien Evans]

That is absolutely (and clumsily) photoshopped. But then, it's the Daily Mail. They routinely photoshop pictures, so much so that they're the star attraction over at Photoshop Disasters.

No and No. It's not photoshopped and it's not (originally) from the daily fail, it's from the Courier Mail in Brisbane.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26254415-5007190,00.html

[seycyrus]

What aboutthe "single bite" part of the story?

I.e are those two major wounds from a single bite, or two bites? There seems to be too much "thickness" between the two sides. In my solidworks "recreation" the skin in the middle is very thin.

[Capsid]

It is dead. It was dead when they cut it free from the nets.
It is being dragged backwards through the water attached to the back of a boat.
The 'thrashing' you think you see is the wake of the shark (and the boat) on top of the water.
Shark flesh is pinky white - they are all cartledge - no bones.
They can take huge clean chunks out of whales - they are like giant pirhana -they will bite and shake, sawing through flesh like a hot knife through butter with multi layered razor sharp teeth.
Don't compare their real abilities to what you might have seen in Jaws - they do not chomp.

They are killing machinesHere's a vdeo of sharks feeding on a dead whale. There's both chomping and sawing going on, isn't there?.

http://sharkattackphotos.com/Shark_Attacks_Whale.htm

Some of the bite marks are reminiscent of those on the pictured shark, so I'm more convinced now. I'd like to see more photos though.

[Akhenaten]

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/FindingNemo.jpg

[BenBurch]

We're definitely going to need a bigger boat.

[ElMondoHummus]

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/FindingNemo.jpg



LOL


I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.


He promised! He did!

[casebro]

Looks like delicious meat to me. Just like the Mako I caught and cleaned. It was 45 pounds, caught on 15 pound test monofilament. Leaderless, the hook was in the very corner of the mouth. I believe the shark was weakened by an open wound between head and gills. About 3 inches in diameter, hemispherical, it had a 1 1/2" barnacle in it. Like the barnacle was feeding on the shark, or maybe just chaffing the heck out of it. The meat was just like the pics posted here. Makos being close relatives of the GW, it's a shame to waste GW carcasses.

Cleaning the Mako, I was surprised that the gut bag was so small, and that there is no cartilaginous skeleton, only a 'rope' through the middle. Lots of good meat, hardly any waste.

I believe the 'triangle bite' mentioned above was referring to the edges, the ragged cut made by the GW's teeth. I aslo suspect that the size of the "ten footer" could easily be exxagerated, leading to exagerattion of the "five meter" size.

My Mako was caught in the La Jolla kelp beds, during the first few days that the commercial fishermen can bait their lobster traps. Lots of chum in the water then, and it is during the season that the small Makos come to southern California. I don't think I would go surfing then.

[William Parcher]

Basking sharks patrol the UK coast and an adult could easily stand upright in the mouth.


They have big mouths, but are they that big?

I found... (http://www.pelagic.org/montereybay/pelagic/baskingshark.html)

It opens its cavernous mouth (up to 4ft. Across!) to allow water to pass over the gill rakers, which then strain small fishes and invertebrates out of the water column.

[William Parcher]

I believe the 'triangle bite' mentioned above was referring to the edges, the ragged cut made by the GW's teeth.


I'm still trying to understand what they mean by distinctive triangular bite. I thought the GWS produces a circular (arch) shaped upper bite wound because its upper jaw is an arch.

ETA: We could be seeing the bite marks from the lower jaw, which is shaped differently than the upper. The lower jar is more triangular.

[MattusMaximus]

I see so it was stiff from being dead and towed behind a boat. That's plausible but being alive when they took the picture and moving around nope not likely. It was hooked but dead before bringing in it in and not thrashing like the article on the crypto page says. Sharks are quite interesting because they have primitive neurological systems which retain functions for a while without blood supply but structurally they need to be intact. Sometimes people get bit by dead sharks.
However since you have a JPEG where is it? Is it out of the water or the same towed behind a boat picture?

And that's my only hang up at this point... if the shark was still alive, there should have been lots of blood. No blood seems to indicate that it was dead, which means the initial reports that it was alive when caught were erroneous.

Either way, there's been - at the least - some poor reporting on this one. I still hold out the possibility that this is a Photoshopped picture, though. But I suppose that can be said of any photo.

[Buckaroo]

I simply couldn't believe it was still alive with those huge chunks out of it, but sharks are tough.


We used to bait hooks at the end of milk jugs with fresh mullet heads, set 'em and wait. When we'd check the jugs (sometimes several hours later) the mullet head was still apparently convinced that it was alive, gills working and mouth gaping. It can take a lot to "kill" some fish, even after the removal of its entire body.

[zooterkin]

Can't you compress the IMB picture and post it, I'd like to see it for comparison?

It's a jpeg, which is already compressed; compressing it again won't make it (much) smaller than 1Mb.

[Ziggurat]

It's a jpeg, which is already compressed;

It's true that using lossless compression (like zip) on a jpeg won't help much, if any. But jpeg itself is lossy compression, and the amount of loss is variable. If you decrease the quality, you can decrease the file size. Any decent image viewer should allow one to choose the jpeg compression level and resave a smaller version of the file.

[Ixion]

To me, it is plausible that the bite came from a larger shark. I think it is multiple bites and I think the shark in the photo was already dead.

Great white sharks over 20 feet long are rare, but not unheard of. A quick google search got me these three photos of great whites over 20 feet long.

http://www.thesharkdoctor.com/biggestgw.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/mollet/Cc/Cc_images/GreatWhiteShark_bg2.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G8piPZCUDMA/SSINUxOcehI/AAAAAAAACY4/VlWxBe8x0A4/s400/Great_white_shark_caught_in_Seven_Star_Lake_in_199 7.jpg

[Jontg]

"Full seal found in stomach."
"Teeth 2 in. long."
Jesus **** *********** ****ity-**** with a pogo stick.

[zooterkin]

It's true that using lossless compression (like zip) on a jpeg won't help much, if any. But jpeg itself is lossy compression, and the amount of loss is variable. If you decrease the quality, you can decrease the file size. Any decent image viewer should allow one to choose the jpeg compression level and resave a smaller version of the file.

True, but given that the point of seeing the 1Mb version was to see more clearly, it seems counterproductive to lower the quality of the image.

[Marduk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark#Size
A typical adult great white shark measures 4–4.8 metres (13–16 ft) and has a mass of 680–1,100 kilograms (1,500–2,400 lb), females generally being larger than males. The great white shark's maximum size is about 6 m (20 ft), with a maximum weight of about 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). The maximum size of the great white shark has been hotly debated. Richard Ellis and John E. McCosker, both academic shark experts, devote a full chapter in their book, Great White Shark (1991), to analyzing various accounts of extreme size.

For several decades, many ichthyological works, as well as the Guinness Book of World Records, listed two great white sharks as the largest individuals caught: a 7.8 m (26 ft) great white captured in Southern Australian waters near Port Fairy in the 1870s, and a 7.33 m (24.0 ft) shark trapped in a herring weir in New Brunswick, Canada in the 1930s. While this was the commonly accepted maximum size, reports of 7.5–10-metre (25–33 ft) great white sharks were common and often deemed credible
I'm amazed that none of you are galeophobic (sharkaphobia), let me tell you as someone who can't watch a shark on TV without my blood pressure and pulse rate going up my knowledge of them is quite advanced.

a 20 ft great white is not uncommon, in fact, its not even unusual. This is why the 25 foot size was chosen for the monster in the original Jaws movie, because the horror was more real in its acuuracy. We're not talking about something that shouldn't exist, we are talking about something that has been scientifically proven consistently since Elasmobranchology (study of sharks)was born. The prey animal at 10 feet is actually a juvenile
and this is why I'm phobic
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20050320/ai_n13459537/
A SNORKELLER was eaten alive by a huge shark yesterday in front of horrified tourists.

The victim - a 26-year-old deck hand on a charter boat - was attacked by the 20ft shark off the west coast of Australia.

A police spokesman said: "He was in the sea snorkelling with passengers of the vessel when he was taken by the shark. We believe he died instantly. His body has not been recovered."

The unnamed victim had been in the water with a party of tourists off the Abrolhos Islands, 250 miles north of Perth. He was dragged away by the shark before being eaten.
because they don't just eat other sharks
:eek::eye-poppi:covereyes:jaw-dropp

[calebprime]

I feel his pain.

And yours, Marduk.

Have you seen the Open Water movies?

[Dogdoctor]

Here's the relevant bit cropped from the above full-size pic:

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/Sharkbite.jpg


I admit the edges of the bite look a bit dodgy, but sharks really do take clean, sharp bites like that.

In any case, I have no reason to doubt the evidence of the photo because it's not that extraordinary an occurrence.

You can see the typical color of shark meat in the smaller wounds. The color in the big bite may represent some shadows or the bite plane came close to the more vascular areas between muscle masses.

[Marduk]

I feel his pain.

And yours, Marduk.

Have you seen the Open Water movies?

in my nightmares, twice nightly
:shark: :shark: :shark: :shark:

I've seen them all, the only one that doesn't scare me is deep blue sea, I dont know why that is, when you have a phobia you don't examine your reasoning as much as you do the thing causing it.
I know why I'm phobic, its because theyre out to get me
and I'm sincere in that, and so are they

[lumos]

The bite taken out of that shark looks like it was taken by a shark about the same size, maybe only a little bigger. It seems plausible. They can take pretty big bites.

I've also seen fish still "living" and thrashing after the the thing has been mostly filleted so it's plausible for the shark to still be thrashing with big bites taken out of it.

[Vorticity]

"Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see." -- Jack Handey

It's worse than that. Thanks to the Frankensteinian machinations of some of our more wayward scientists, the sharks can now fly (http://xkcd.com/585/).

[The Fallen Serpent]

Read about the USS Indianapolis. That is a nightmare.

ussindianapolis dot org slash story dot htm

Just be glad the megalodon went extinct 5 million years ago. You would have to adjust your nightmares up a notch. At least most sharks are salt water animals now. Sweet water sharks apparently were the rule until about 100 million years ago but were also smaller.

[cwalner]

I'm amazed that none of you are galeophobic (sharkaphobia), let me tell you as someone who can't watch a shark on TV without my blood pressure and pulse rate going up my knowledge of them is quite advanced.

So, then I would guess that you are not a fan of Shark Week on Discovery Channel

Shame about that, Mythbusters typically does a good show each year for that.

[Dogdoctor]

I have seen and touched and eaten several sharks but so far they haven't shown the same interest in me.

[A.A. Alfie]

Here's a vdeo of sharks feeding on a dead whale. There's both chomping and sawing going on, isn't there?.

http://sharkattackphotos.com/Shark_Attacks_Whale.htm

Some of the bite marks are reminiscent of those on the pictured shark, so I'm more convinced now. I'd like to see more photos though.

You're right of course. The chomping I was meaning related to Speilbergs Jaws. e.g. when he's eating the captain - chomp, chomp chomp as opposed to chomp, shred, tear, gulp.

[Megalodon]

Jesus!... One has a snack and all hell breaks loose!

[Akhenaten]

Finally. An authority on this sort of thing.

[commandlinegamer]

They have big mouths, but are they that big?


The museum in Cardiff has a life-sized model. It's suspended from the ceiling but I could have entered its mouth; I think I'm about 5'6".

[Megalodon]

Finally. An authority on this sort of thing.

In snacks?... Definitely.

[DogB]

I'd like to see more photos though.

Email Kirsten at Kirsten.Phillips@deedi.qld.gov.au if you're really curious.

[Delvo]

And that's my only hang up at this point... if the shark was still alive, there should have been lots of blood. No blood seems to indicate that it was dead, which means the initial reports that it was alive when caught were erroneous....unless the picture wasn't taken until after they'd had the thing hanging out there for a while and it had died in the meantime.

[Jaggy Bunnet]

I'll by up that way next month. Don't think I'll pack my swimming trunks.

I'm going there next month as well, and we've got a fishing trip booked. Guess we should take the big scales?

[Akhenaten]

Just remember to take the big boat.

[Harpo]

I'm surprised this video hasn't been linked to in this thread (it seems to be on every other forum/message board).

Great White Shark Vs Killer Whale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8GaDuCvYbE

You can read more details about the incident here:

http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueid=70&articleid=991

I found the "attack footage" amazing (and I realise it wasn't a fully grown White Shark so perhaps not an even contest) but not as fascinating as the explaination of where the sharks went afterwards.

[BlackKat]

I'd still like to know where the hell is all the blood. C'mon, with wounds that damn big, the water should be more red than blue!

Considering the boat is towing the shark through said water with enough speed to cause a rather sizable wake... and that said shark has been being draglined along for some distance both before and after said bites...
You're looking for something long since left behind.

[LTC8K6]

Considering the boat is towing the shark through said water with enough speed to cause a rather sizable wake... and that said shark has been being draglined along for some distance both before and after said bites...
You're looking for something long since left behind.

No, different versions of the story are the problem, imo. Some versions indicate that the shark was still alive.

Which is in direct contradiction to other articles covering this story when they reported the shark was still alive when it was caught. They describe it as thrashing and fighting to get away from the boat.

[A.A. Alfie]

D.e.a.d.

[DogB]

No, different versions of the story are the problem, imo. Some versions indicate that the shark was still alive.

The only different version of the story appears to have originated with the Daily Mail. The shark was dead when retrieved.

[Lucian]

in my nightmares, twice nightly
:shark: :shark: :shark: :shark:

I've seen them all, the only one that doesn't scare me is deep blue sea, I dont know why that is, when you have a phobia you don't examine your reasoning as much as you do the thing causing it.
I know why I'm phobic, its because theyre out to get me
and I'm sincere in that, and so are they

Ah yes, to return to your shark fear, I just wanted to assure you that you're doomed. I mean, my God, man, you live on an island! What were you thinking? And the only way you can get off the island to a nice safe land-locked country on a proper continent is to pass over or under water. It doesn't matter what you do, they will find you.

Resign yourself to your fate: it will bring you peace.

[Marduk]

Read about the USS Indianapolis. That is a nightmare.

ussindianapolis dot org slash story dot htm

Just be glad the megalodon went extinct 5 million years ago. You would have to adjust your nightmares up a notch. At least most sharks are salt water animals now. Sweet water sharks apparently were the rule until about 100 million years ago but were also smaller.

whats wrong with you, ya been counting money your whole life
if I want to know about the Indianapolis, I'll listen to the man tell it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nrvMNf-HEg
;):D