Shark pictures show amazing killing display – Telegraph.co.uk: After reaching speeds of up to 35mph on its ascent from the depths, the shark uses serried ranks of razor-sharp teeth to tear into the seal.
The original article includes even more pictures.
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That’s what Hillary will do to Obama if he keeps trying to steal the nomination from her.
very cool!
Did somebody forget to tell the sharks those seals are endangered?
Several tv shows on this–look for “Air Shark” to get the film.
Interestingly, Great Whites are very accurate in wanting only seals–not scuba divers or surfers.
The air shark series shows sharks bolting up to fake seals and then veering off at the last second to avoid hitting something “not seal.”
So specific. Good thing for them too or they would be extinct by now–instead of later.
#5. Fussy eaters? They are not French, surely!
#5. bobbo- As a long time scuba diver, that still gives me the shivers. I always felt safe under the surface, even if sharks are around, but with head above the water, not so safe.
I’ve been hearing about these guys for a couple of months now. Articles and documentaries hint at these sharks being far more intelligent than previously suspected. They employ a lot of strategy to kill an animal that is both intelligent and much more agile, though slower, than themselves. They’re really quite beautiful and amazing creatures.
#7–McCullough==I agree totally. In my dives, I have been “approached” by sharks on two occasions. Lasy, slow, approaches by small members I took to be juveniles. Not an attack–they just wanted to bite me for curiosities sake.
Upshot is I could not go into the water without clear visibility and a stick to move them aside.
Then years later–I got paranoid about a shark attack at night while in my swimming pool. Only “nutty” think about me that I have observed.
Long since my first ocean dive off Salt Point in Northern California where the great whites breed and there was 8 inches of visibility==and people still doing their first dives there.
They are beautiful to see in the water though–so much “of” nature they are.
#8–Scott==now there you go again==pure instinctive behavior is NOT intelligent. Thats the whole point–its not learned, its not adaptable. Just highly adapted to the environment that has been stable for the sharks for 400MM years (or whatever!).
I only dive in the Caribbean, or clear waters like that. Never saw a point in diving with zero vis, at that point its just breathing underwater. My dog liked to follow me if I was diving off the beach, and once, whilst trying to snare a nice lobster dinner, I noticed her circling about 40 feet above me and reef sharks around me, I was alone so I had to surface, or risk taking home a tripod dog. The snorkel back to beach was eerie. Funny story about the pool shark though. What brought that on?
#10–I’m just assuming that because I was approached by sharks on a number of occasions that it got my subconscious working. Only because I saw them coming, I was able to put the stick between me and them and move them out of the way. If I had not seen them coming–I “know” they would have taken a bite. After that, I often dove with larger sharks who showed no interest in me but they were much larger than my stick!! I used to dream about the encounters with no ill effect.
So–why 10 years later do I get an overwhelming fear of sharks at night in my pool? I figure it is post traumatic stress!
Since I have this “feeling” after such an unremarkable exposure, and it didn’t show itself for 10 years–I give any claim of battle trauma great credibility. Easy to fake, but I assume it can arise years later over almost nothing.
The subconscious does work in its own ways?
I have only seen one shark attack. That was a woman swimming topless who had a “nurse” shark latch on to her breast. Since they have no teeth, it was more embarrasing than damaging, and everyone had a real good laugh about it, (except for the woman of course).
So we are saving the seals so the sharks can eat them. Sounds like a metaphor for something else?
Nitpicking I know but those are Sea Lions not Seals.
#4 Sea Lawyer – Did somebody forget to tell the sharks those seals are endangered?
Those are Japanese sharks doing a scientific study on the seals. 😉
Cheers
#9 – bobbo,
What evidence do you have that the apparent intelligence is not real intelligence that their strategy is really just instinct?
Remember, you are actually making a claim by claiming that behavioral psychology applies to other species. Do you also believe it applies to humans or do you think we’re somehow special?
If you believe humans are inherently different in kind on this subject, beware of the possibility that your argument is for single step macro-evolution.
Evolution proceeds in micro steps not large steps between species. Intelligence, like all other features of certain species possibly including humans, is a sliding scale, not an absolute.
Tuna and dolphins coordinate and cooperate during the hunt. Is this instinctual? Is either species intelligent? Are both intelligent? Are they equally intelligent? Is one species or the other acting on instinct?
Be careful how you answer all of these questions. If something can be most easily explained by intelligence, such as termite fishing by chimps or tool making by crows, explaining it through behavioral psychology is actually a violation of Occam’s Razor.
bobbo,
While you’re thinking about your answers to the questions above, read this article on political animals and consider the amount of social intelligence required by some of the other species mentioned.
#14 – nilsa,
Extremely good point about seals versus sea lions. Most people do break them up that way. I have heard a few discuss “true seals” versus “eared seals”. However, without specifying “eared seals” they should use the term sea lions.
Misanthropic Scott, haven’t seen you around for a while. I agree, what seems to be intelligence in animals is just hard wired behavior like leaf cutter ants, my cat et al.
My cat still scratches his post but has no claws…not very smart.
IMHO, If dolphins are as intelligent as some claim why do they need bribing with food to punch a ball? Being smarter than basic learning abilities in food gathering would mean that they would ascertain that punching a ball is enjoyable to their land based colleagues and just do for that sake. Dolphins do things for dolphins and their interaction with us is based on their instinctual behavior they have between themselves.
Off topic: I just moved from East to West Shanghai and it seems all wordpress.com blogs are blocked in west Shanghai but not east…wtf?
Cheers
-sucks to be prey.
#19 – TIHZ_HO,
Either I didn’t make my point clearly or you are agreeing with bobbo. I’ll try to be more clear now.
Do you think humans have real intelligence? Or, are we just moist robots too?
Personally, I believe evolution has it correct. There are no single step major leaps. Everything happens in small amounts. Even punctuated equilibrium still assume tens to hundreds of thousands of years for significant change.
Intelligence did not pop into being with humans. If it looks like intelligence in other animals it probably is. The alternative requires ridiculous rationalizations for the behavior of other creatures, thus making it a complete violation of Occam’s Razor.
As for your cat, I suspect that the ignorance is on your part for this point. (Ignorance != supidity, just lack of knowledge, no insult intended by this statement.)
Your cat has scent glands just above the front paws. What your cat is doing by “scratching” his post is scenting it. In a cat that still has all of the joints of his/her fingers, this also results in pulling off the top layer of fingernail, thus leaving a sharper claw behind.
However, your cat is still making use of the scenting function of the action despite the fact that you (as I did in my younger and stupider days) cut off the top knuckle of his fingers.
(aside)
For anyone with a cat considering “declawing” please be aware that this cuts off the fingertips at the first knuckle (and toetips if you do back claws as well). It is actually quite cruel and inhumane. I would never do it again. I would not have done it when I was young and stupid had I not been ignorant of the actual procedure.
(/aside)
#19 – TIHZ_HO,
Re: me not being around for a while.
A) Been busier at work.
B) Been busy over at cagematch. (shameless plug for another Dvorak blog)
C) Haven’t been finding as many interesting threads here lately as there had been.
D) Have been finding more interesting threads on cagematch. (Is that a double plug?)
E) The current format has the threads scrolling away so quickly that I may be missing some and conversations end up too short.