Great White Sharks Visiting San Francisco 105
Ponca City, We love you writes "Juliet Eilperin writes in the Washington Post that while for years, humans have thought of great white sharks as wandering the sea at random, only occasionally venturing close to shore, it turns out we were wrong. Scientists lured 179 great white sharks to their boat with a carpet decoy designed to look like a seal, and used a lance to attach satellite tags with the aid of 2.3-inch titanium darts to track the sharks and discovered that Pacific white sharks spend months near the northern and central California coast between August and February, foraging among elephant seals, sea lions, and other prey. The sharks were spotted as far inland as the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, east of the Golden Gate Bridge. 'It shows you how wild it is off our West Coast of North America. This is Yellowstone,' says Stanford University marine sciences professor Barbara A. Block. The fact that 'a major concentration' of great whites can ignore humans 'shows us the sharks are really minding their own business. The number of interactions with people is very small, considering,' says Salvador J. Jorgensen."
I read the article... (Score:5, Funny)
They won't ignore humans for long. (Score:5, Funny)
In TFA, love the first paragraph (Score:5, Funny)
Love the first paragraph in TFA that points out the obvious: "For years, humans have thought of great white sharks wandering the sea at random, only occasionally venturing close to shore."
Holy shit. I always thought "For years, elephants have thought of great white sharks wandering the sea at random, only occasionally venturing close to shore."
I just learned something today. Guess I thought I knew more about elephants than people. I am sadly mistaken.
you can see them from the golden gate bridge (Score:5, Funny)
here's a typical shot of a great white in san francisco bay:
http://www.empireonline.com/features/golden-gate-bridge-in-movies/ [empireonline.com]
Quick... (Score:2, Funny)
Quick... someone blame global warming!
It's to blame anytime anywhere something in the vaguest sense weird happens. WE NEVER HAD ANYTHING WEIRD HAPPEN BEFORE GLOBAL WARMING. EVER.
Call Al Gore - him staring pensively at great whites will make a great opening to Inconvenient Truth 2 - Revenge of the Evil People Who Didn't Buy Hybrids
What do you call a shark on the move? (Score:2, Funny)
No lasers? (Score:5, Funny)
This is madness!
Madness? No... this is Yellowstone
Jawns (Score:4, Funny)
Re:misread (Score:2, Funny)
*gasp*! LAN Shark, cleverest species of them all!
Re:uh (Score:5, Funny)
As any serious diver will tell you, generally speaking, a shark sighting is a cause for excitement and anticipation, not panic. Leave them alone, and they'll generally leave you alone.
Unless there's ominous cello music playing in the background.
Tag (Score:2, Funny)
Scientists lured 179 great white sharks to their boat
What, no "youregonnaneedabiggerboat" tag? I'm disappointed in you, slashdot. :(
Forget "Shark Watching" tour cruises . . . (Score:4, Funny)
Go "Shark Darting" instead!
You get to peg sharks with 2.3 inch titanium darts!
It's not a good idea to take a quick dip in the water off the boat, though. I think sharks are smart enough to figure out who threw those painful titanium darts sticking out of their backs.
Re:I read the article... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Forget "Shark Watching" tour cruises . . . (Score:3, Funny)
I think sharks are smart enough to figure out who threw those painful titanium darts sticking out of their backs.
I am pretty sure, sharks' behavior toward tasty meat-filled creatures in front of them is not predicated on recognizing those creatures as related to other events in those sharks' lives.
Also
i'm a shark!!! i'm a SHAAAARK!
suck my titanium daaaart!! I'M A SHAAARK!!
Oblig. XKCD (Score:3, Funny)
It's all part of scientific outreach: http://xkcd.com/585/
Re:Ignore humans? (Score:1, Funny)
Plus, Great Whites hate the smell of B.O. and patchouli.
Re:you can see them from the golden gate bridge (Score:3, Funny)
This just in... (Score:3, Funny)
"Grab your pointy sticks and climb on down here into the water with us you air breathing little assholes!"
So what? (Score:2, Funny)
We need a bigger boat.
Re:No lasers? (Score:2, Funny)
Good thing they are only visiting. American's are getting fatter and are higher in cholesterol. Having more than a couple just ruin the shark's diet.
Re:uh (Score:4, Funny)
they'll generally leave you alone
Mike Tyson "generally" is not going to kick your ass, but you're still not going to sit next to him in the airport. Are you?
Re:uh (Score:3, Funny)
Mike Tyson "generally" is not going to kick your ass, but you're still not going to sit next to him in the airport. Are you?
I might be a little nervous, but sure I'd sit next to him since I know I'd be okay if I just didn't do anything that made me look like a wounded sea lion.