Friday, August 15, 2014

Weird Shark #2: Great Hammerheads




I'm trying to feature weird sharks in Floridian waters as much as I can today, because a few of them, like this truly strange and majestic creature, I've seen with my own Glassballs.  Even from a boat, these animals a breathtaking and awesome!  I feel privileged to have seen one on person, as these beautiful creatures, who've evolved in no small part to feed on distant cousins skates and rays, are endangered--they were much more common when I was kid, which is last time I've seen one in person in the wild.  The whole hammerhead family is a group that is favored by the vile "fishermen":  shark finners.  I am just glad the the US has instituted a nation wide ban of finning in US waters; this will give these animals a chance to recover.  I would hope and pray that other countries follow.  As of now it is illegal in EU waters, and Canadian waters (since 1994!); in the Pacific, we especially applaud Taiwan (formerly Formosa) for banning finning in their water outright and the tiny nation of Palau has outlawed all shark fishing outright (the first and only nation on the planet to do that that I no of). (And, yes, we have a silly legend on Florida about a Hammerhead that was dubbed "Old Hitler" back in the 1940's, some people silly enough to believe that the shark is still alive, will call any Hammerhead 17 feet or more "Old Hitler"--talk shark tales....).


This National Geographic photo, clearly shows the hammer and the mouth that easily looks similar to the mouth of their favorite prey:  stingrays.

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