Hello and welcome back Shark. Here is to another episode of
Deep Dives with Sharks. I'm the host here.
My name is Alex and I sometimes know how to put these episodes
out and sometimes I don't apparently.
So that's going well but I did miss you guys.
I was currently not currently I was driving across the country
along with goalie as we were moving from Florida to
California as I have not stopped talking about but that is
currently done. So we are officially in
California which is very nice. And I did ask on Instagram
shortly before leaving if anyone want and kind of ask me anything
type episode. So I did get some replies, some
questions and I'm going to be going over them today.
So this episode is kind of just a lot of blabbering kind of a
lot about me and sharks. It is a lot shark related.
I don't think there's really anything that's not shark
related in the questions. There might be one or two
things, but other than that, for the most part it is still very
sharky. So I figured I could count it.
And also I will be trying to stream probably tomorrow because
I have some free time, but we'll stream sometime this week.
If you guys want to pop in, say hi, hang out, anything of that
nature, and then I'll try to get back to being in some sort of a,
I guess routine. That makes sense.
So yeah, hopefully there should be weekly streams again and then
hopefully getting episodes out in a timely manner.
Right now it is still going to be a little hectic as we are in
the unpacking process and also I am working on our boarding stuff
for my job. So there is a little bit here
and there, but for the most part we should be smooth sailing.
Hopefully we'll see time will tell, but of course you guys can
keep up to date with everything by following along on the social
medias at deep dives with sharks.
That's for everything that is Instagram, that is the twitch,
that is the YouTube everything there.
I also have the tab link that I throw in the descriptions of
these episodes and also should be in the description of the
show in general so you can always click there to find more.
We also do have a discord server so if you guys want to join
that, there should be an invite link on that as well.
Please do let me know if it has stopped working again because I
am not very good with keeping up with all of that as well.
So I do appreciate those of you that have reached out to let me
know when things aren't working. But of course, follow along, ask
any questions there and we'll jump right into it.
So the first question I got was actually from one of my old
teammates. They asked me if I played rugby
because of the team name. So in college, for those of you
that do not know, I played rugby and was a back three, which
means I played winger, fullback. I was OK, we'll go with that.
But the team name was the Sharks, and I really didn't not
know that when I joined the team.
I just lived with two guys that played rugby and they kind of
told me that they were going to force me to do that because the
club soccer team was getting started and they hadn't reached
out to me in a while. So I was like, OK, cool.
So I just went into rugby and they were the Sharks and it
worked great. So it's kind of fun.
I did like the mascot. We had a wooden shark whose name
was Woody. He was great.
Miss him dearly. Also our coaches got inducted
into our school Hall of Fame so Congrats to him as well.
Although I don't think he listens at all but my goodness.
Now next question I got though is least favorite shark.
Now that one was interesting because I of course love all the
sharks. That's why I did a podcast about
them. I find any shark really
interesting. So I do want to say that I do
sort of have a least favorite shark, but I do enjoy seeing
them no matter what and I will have an explanation.
It is the sand tiger shark. I almost said nurse.
I do like nurse sharks a lot, but it's a sand tiger shark and
it is simply because all the aquariums that I went to growing
up, it's one of the most abundant sharks in captivity.
You just kind of see them everywhere, at least between the
Baltimore Aquarium, the Tampa or the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.
I believe the New Jersey Aquarium had it, Adventure
Aquarium. So there's just like all the
aquariums I've been to. I think I'm trying to remember.
Virginia Beach had one. I can't remember.
I've only been there once, but all of them, they, the most of
them I'll say, had sand tiger shark.
So it's kind of one of those where I've seen them.
It's like I do still love them, but it is one that I've just
seen a lot and I don't get bored seeing them because of course,
every shark has a different personality.
But it is kind of one of those moments where I feel like if you
were to have me put the if you put all the sand tiger sharks
together in one tank and had me separate which one goes to
Tampa, which one goes to Baltimore, which one goes to New
Jersey, so on and so forth, I'd get it wrong.
I don't think I could differentiate them that much.
Meanwhile, other sharks, I probably could pick those out
maybe a little bit better. But yeah, it's just kind of the
sand tiger. I've seen them a lot, but I do
enjoy seeing them when I go to aquariums and I'm disappointed
if they're not there. So that's what I like.
Now another question I got. Is there anything cool about the
anatomy of sharks? I feel like there's a million
things that are cool about the anatomy of sharks.
For one, they're pretty much all made-up of cartilage, which is
just kind of crazy, which cartilage is what your ears are
made out of and a lot of your nose.
So it's kind of neat that that's what the sharks made out of and
they can still have different things go on with them.
Like whoa be gongs can have scoliosis, which is just kind of
a wild thing. I never thought that a shark
could have anything like that, especially because you just
don't really associate things like that with sharks or other
animals. But it kind of also depends on
the shark. Like when it comes to leopard
sharks, is it leopard lemon sharks?
Sorry, lemon sharks have that that spearical behind their eye
that help them to breathe more Whoa be gongs.
They're tassels that flow in the currents that way they mimic
corals and and fish feel safer and the fact that goblin sharks
can lunge their jaws out and epaulette sharks are able to to
crawl on land. The list keeps going on the fact
that whale sharks are carpet sharks, even though you don't
see them really at the bottom of the ocean, or at least no one
has seen them at the bottom of the ocean at this point.
It's just kind of those sorts of things are are absolutely crazy
to me and it's really cool. Just kind of think about because
it's every shark is kind of the same at its base.
You know, it's got some fins, it's got the distinct dorsal
fin, it's got the the body shapes that are somewhat similar
to their their features, whether they're carpet shark or requiem
shark, anything like that. Or I guess just say the family
of shark that they're in. But they're not really.
It's just very different per shark.
Because I mean, the fact that goblin sharks as well, when we
see them up at the surface where like these guys are really
wrinkly and and weird and then you realize when they're down,
the pressure is different. So they're actually rather round
shaped. They're they're boldest you can
say, but it's just really cool how the different sharks all
have different anatomies and different features.
And that goes really any sea creature too.
I mean, I'm just, I think the anatomy of all sea creatures is
incredible. The fact that cuttlefish have a
bone that is essentially their entire body.
Octopi have three hearts and one stops beating while they're
swimming. I could go the fact that octopi
have a beak. That's crazy, but I could
honestly just keep going on and on and on about how cool sharks
are forever. But I that's kind of why I also
started this podcast is to kind of highlight some of the things
that are neat about sharks because that's a lot of the
times what I like to tell people is a cool anatomy factor, how
the shark got their name. I like how I said I can keep
going on and on and I still am. I think it's really cool that
cookie cutter sharks have that darker band around their neck to
try to lure in prey. The fact that there are sharks
that are bioluminescent, so they glow against the surface.
There's a Lantern shark recently when we were going into a
Bucky's goalie comes over and goes, look what I found.
And it was an ultimate field guide for sharks.
And it was, of course, I bought it in a heartbeat, which was
funny because she said she was supposed to buy it for me and
then got distracted because it's Bucky's and who does not get
distracted and Bucky's. But it just even flipping
through, there were so many things that I didn't know about
sharks that I learned in that moment.
And one's got, I forget what it's called.
It's like I think some sort of Lantern shark, I can't remember
exactly, but essentially it secrets something that just has
bioluminescence. So it glows behind it almost
like it has just a trail of sparkles, which is just really,
really cool to see. So that was that's probably one
of the neat things to to learn. And I say that every there's
everything cool about the anatomy of sharks.
I definitely recommend if there's ones that you want to
learn more about or if there's, if you ever have a question of
like, is there any shark that does this?
I mean, definitely looking into that because I can almost
guarantee that there's a shark that probably has some that it
might be extinct, but you could probably Google, does a shark
have this or this feature that feature.
And at some point in history, a shark did have that, which is
rather cool. So there's many, many things
that are cool about the anatomy of sharks.
And now this one, I think is a very deep question, very driven
question, which I love. And they asked, what would you
say to a young teen who wants to find a career in shark research?
So for one, I'd say that's a great question because that is a
question that I myself had when I was younger and never really
found an answer until I guess now.
Because I mean, this is I don't even know if this counts as
shark researcher, if I'm just a dork with a mic that likes
looking into sharks and relaying that information to share that
with other people. But one thing that I've noticed
just from working in my own field and being able to get
further into social work and things like that was to reach
out, ask questions to people that are in the field.
One thing I can say is when I went to Shark Khan, Doctor Mike
Heidhouse and Yannis Papa stomach to you, both of them
were like, Oh yeah, no, like reach out to the people you see
on shark week or shark fest, which shark week is July 20th by
the way. I don't know if they announce
Shark fest yet. I'm waiting on it.
I will let you know. But but when it comes to it,
definitely reaching out if you have questions about sharks, if
you have questions about things you saw, if you want more
explanations and trying to get as involved as you can, whether
that be with organizations that help sharks themselves or if
that be in a capacity of volunteering with an an
aquarium. And it might not even fully be
in the shark field. You might be volunteering with
an aquarium and unfortunately all you're doing is kind of just
going to to different schools and helping to hand out
information or things like that. But getting involved is a great
way to dip your toe in and see, is this something that I
actually think I want to have a career in?
Because that is also a big decision and I will not
discourage anyone from trying any sort of career, career
field. There we go.
That was a tough phrase, but any sort of career field because
there's many things that people don't know what they'll end up
loving. So I always say just go out and
try it. I talk to people that are in
positions that you would love to have.
One thing I did, I mean, I sometimes it doesn't work out
though, because I know that the last episode was an open love
letter to the Baltimore Aquarium.
But I got, I got a couple bones to stick with them because I
applied there when I was looking when I got into grad school or
was looking to get into grad school and wanted a job that'd
be easier than the 1 I had at the time.
And I was even going to like willing to work in their gift
shop. And they said no, like, OK,
great. So they didn't want that.
I applied to be on their customer service team.
They said no to that as well. So there were many times that I
was told no by the Baltimore Aquarium.
And that's not me having beef with them.
That's just a matter of fact. And I tried reaching out for
volunteer opportunities and they were full up on volunteers at
that time as well. So sometimes it doesn't work
out, but don't really take no for an answer.
And I'm not saying go harass them or any organization you're
trying to work for. But one thing I will say, I
mean, I even reached out to the aquarium to see if any of their
shark team would want to be interviewed for the podcast and
they didn't reply. Well, they said they'd ask and I
never heard back. So we'll ask again.
But The thing is, for me, that was just kind of a sign.
Like, OK, maybe this isn't something I should pursue
further with them because that's just not the the door seems to
be shutting and let's go look elsewhere.
And things happen for reasons we ended up where we ended up.
But I will say definitely reach out to those that are in the
positions that you would want to have and ask them what they did
because like I said, I am not working in the shark field.
I just do a podcast that talks about sharks and I get a lot of
my information from the Internet, as well as trying to
talk to shark experts and asking them questions and then relaying
that information. So a lot of it comes from them
and I'm just putting it in ways that make sense.
So definitely reach out to them. If you have a favorite shark
expert, even if it's a videographer or someone like
that, don't be afraid to reach out to him.
I mean, the worst thing that happens is they either don't
answer or they they tell you're doing something wrong.
But even that can be beneficial in the sense of letting you
know, hey, I'm going about this the wrong way and I need to
change course. So don't take that rejection as
a no or as it should never happen, or as you're doing
something wrong and you're a bad person because that's not the
case. It's very much just always
learning, always trying to find more ways to work with sharks
and also finding ways to get into that field, which I hope
that made sense. But no, in my case, I had to
have multiple internships for my schooling.
And there were a couple different paths that I was
considering at the time, which was counseling and Hospice work.
And I kind of ended up falling into Hospice thinking I want to
do counseling more. But I very much have loved the
work working in Hospice and have kind of just kept doing it since
then. So it's worked great.
And sometimes we kind of just fall into things like you may
get out there and, and want to keep working with sharks.
One thing that I will say that I learned a while at shark Con is
that there's not really a true shark only scientist.
So you would still have to do more marine biology work, but
definitely having things that kind of work.
I mean, I've had shark here as ask about being a sharkologist
and things like that, which would be incredible, which I
don't really think there's exactly a field at this time,
but I haven't looked completely into it.
So it's definitely possible. And I think that just dipping
your toe in the water, trying to reach out to people, asking
questions at aquariums or with organizations that work with
sharks and even work like talking to those that you're not
too fond of as well, figuring out, oh, well, how did people
end up here? So I don't exactly do that
because even sometimes learning what not to do is just as
helpful as learning what to do. But yeah, I will say don't close
any doors, burn any bridges, anything like that.
Just always keep searching and keep trying to reach out to
people and figure out what there is to do.
Yeah. And also let me know how it goes
because I'm very curious because I'd very much love to, to figure
that one out to be really cool. But I do also encourage everyone
to to pursue whatever career you think you would like to do.
And that really goes for anything because I mean, this
right here, I mean, this isn't a career at this point.
But if podcasting suddenly became it where I'm just talking
about sharks, that'd be awesome. I'd love that to happen.
But is, is that the case now? No, I'm having fun just talking
about sharks. That's what I'm gonna keep
doing. But yeah, it's kind of figuring
out what you like to do and if you can find ways to make it a
career. Absolutely.
So then the next question I got is what's your favorite hunting
slash killing ability of sharks? Now this one's tough because I
have so many. One of my favorites I think of
course, is the epaulette shark. The fact that they can crawl
from 1 puddle to the other, especially along like the Great
Barrier Reef, and the fact that if they get cut from the water,
they can simply kind of just sit there and and I guess shut down
their organs slowly one by one to make sure that they can get
oxygen where they need it to be. But yeah, that's one of my
favorites for sure. I also think the fact that
spinner sharks decided they just got are going to make themselves
a little tornado, so they'll start spinning while they're in
the water as they're breaching or coming up for a breach, I'll
say. So then that way when they hit
the air, they're already spinning.
That's just kind of funny because of course, like that I
guess helps to also disorient their prey because, I mean,
something's coming at you and it's spinning.
You have no idea which way it's going to go.
So at that point you really can't get away.
You can try one way, but they're already spinning so they can
adjust. So you're kind of in trouble
that way. I will say the goblin shark
being able to lunge its jaws out, that one's just nuts
because that there of course, like where in nature do you see
that besides in a goblin shark? Like suddenly it's it's jaws 3
inches further away than it was before.
That's just, that's hacks, that's cheating.
Are you kidding me? Then you also have the the
Wobegongs. Those are insane too.
I bring them up a bunch. Especially just having that
adaption of having the tassels that mimic the coral so they can
just sit there for hours and just have to breathe, which is
kind of like their only movement.
And then we'll sit there and wait for fish to to hang around
them. And then they just snatch 1 so
fast that the others can't even see what happened.
And they're something like, well, where'd Bob go?
He was just here. But yeah, suddenly.
And then they have fangs to hold on to him.
So if they have a meal and they're not hungry, but they're
going to have some later, they can just keep doing that.
That's just, it's so wild. There's so many.
The fact that reef sharks all team up together, not all of
them, but a lot of species will team up together to help hunt
us. That way everyone get some food.
That's crazy cool to me as well. And it's just, it's so wild.
That's definitely one of my a lot of my favorites.
I like how to what's your favorite?
I can't pick one. There's so many.
And of course, when it comes to the, I mean, this is all the non
filter feeders, but the for the filter feeders like basking
sharks and whale sharks, I mean, the fact that they can do active
or passive ventilation to help eat their food.
The fact that whale sharks can suck water in and create
essentially a funnel in a vacuum that just traps up all that
krill on top of having their 300 rows of teeth that kind of just
help the to filter out some of the stuff.
But their gills are also made to help filter all that out.
So they can push the water out but keep the food in.
That's just crazy number of course, when it comes to basking
sharks, having that massive muppet shaped mouth, that muppet
face they have where they just it's just huge.
It's giant circle coming at you. It's crazy and the fact that
they can't eat us either because their throats are so small.
So the most they do is be like, dear God, what is this thing in
my mouth get out, but they they wouldn't really bite you or
anything because they they can't there's not really teeth that do
anything from what researchers have found so far.
I mean, they found tiny ones, but they don't really seem to
make a difference one way or another.
So there's just so many different things when it comes
to hunting slash killing abilities for sharks.
I will say the neat thing though, one that's really
overlooked and I think people often are like, yeah, you seen
it. But when great whites are able
to like the fact that their teeth are all made for cutting
and ripping, similar to other sharks, how Makos have smaller
teeth, which is better for like speed based, like grabbing and
poking and treading stuff like that.
But especially when it comes to great whites, how they can bite
and then they can shake their head, which many sharks don't
tend to do when they eat. But the fact that they can grab
on to to whale blubber and just keep going back and forth until
that chunk rips off or you'll see like the tiger sharks in the
great whites have different bites based on their silica gel
that they bite. And you can tell which one it is
based on the bite pattern. So things like that, just the
the adaptions that they have there are crazy cool as well.
And just the fact that they are designed to do that because I
mean, you don't see too much. I mean, even in like land
animals, you don't see too many that their their whole hunting
ability is just bite, RIP and tear or it's different than what
a shark does because a great white will will grab on and just
shake its head back and forth until that blubber comes off.
But a bear isn't typically going to do that.
They're usually just going to grab the salmon and use its paws
to help shred it that way. But it doesn't really grip and
and and tear like that, which is really cool.
So I think that one's another underrated but very neat one.
Now I believe I have two more questions.
The next one goes, how many bones do sharks have?
Now? This one kind of hit a little
bit close to a recent event, which is kind of funny because I
went to trivia with some friends and it was the first time I've
been invited out and they've been losing a trivia bunch And
we ended up having to split up because they decided to invite
everyone. And the team Max size was like 6
and there was eight of us. But question number like 3 was
how many bones do sharks have? And immediately the other half
the team that didn't have me was like, this is just not fair.
So immediately everyone looked at me and I'm like, well they
have a jaw which is 1. Technically I was like, but the
rest was cartilage. And The funny thing is that a
lot of my friends didn't believe me for some reason.
And I'm like, are you kidding me?
Y'all are gonna question me when it comes to sharks Like and
they're like, but don't they have?
I'm like, oh here, let me get a little bit of clarification.
So I got the like host to come over and I was like, are we
counting like the teeth or are we counting just what they lock
into? I'm like, because if it's the
teeth and which one are we talking about?
And she's like, why do you know so much about sharks?
And I'm like, I have ADHD and hyperfixate on them.
It's great. But it is one of those things
that it's, it's if we're counting teeth, it depends on
the shark because some people count each tooth as a bone.
Other people just count the jaws on which some people don't even
count the jaws, which is, is weird.
So they pretty much have one bone and it's their jaw.
I do at least that I know of. There might be sharks out there
that have bones, but I think for the most part they all are just
cartilage. I haven't come across a shark in
my research that has bones other than a jaw.
So that's kind of the only thing I got for right now, but maybe
we'll find out in the future. Yeah, we'll see what happens.
But Next up, the last question I got, and this one comes from one
of the people that hang out and stream the most.
They recently found out they're going to be able to get a tattoo
and they asked me what tattoo I should or they should get.
I like how I said I I want another tattoo.
Anyway, I always go with a Wobeyong.
Wobeyong's are really cool. I definitely think they're
conversation starter epaulettes as well.
Definitely one that people tend to see great whites a lot.
They're the most tattooed ones. I mean, of course I'm going to
recommend so many different sharks, but I think the Wobeyong
looks really neat if it's done well.
Definitely look into an artist that can do that very well and
has an art style that you enjoy. But yeah, I have a thresher
shark tattooed on me because I was initially going to get a
whale shark and then I kind of chickened out because someone
told me that they were a lame shark and I did not want to have
to go around defending them. But I've decided for my next
tattoo it's going to be a whale shark.
So we got that going for us. So yeah, I say whichever shark
is your favorite, go with that one.
And then another great piece of advice that I got before I got a
couple of my tattoos was to print out a design that's
similar to what you want and then tape it up on a wall where
you're going to see it every day because and leave it there for a
little bit. Don't rush into this decision
because a lot of people like to make impulse decisions and then
they get annoyed seeing it or they hate it or something like
that. And then that's when you have to
start looking at cover ups, which is weird.
But I definitely say tape that up on a wall somewhere where
you'll see it every day. And then if after a while you
still really like it, go for it. Do it.
Now, of course, you don't have to listen to me at all.
You can do with it what you will.
But that is one that I used for a couple of mine and I was
really glad I did because I like the designs that very well.
And then others were impulsive, which I still love them, which
is good, but I'm glad that I love them because there were
some that I was just kind of unmedicated and saying yes,
which is not the greatest idea. Which also reminds me happy
men's mental health month, everyone, and also happy pride.
So your guys are always welcome here.
You are always going to be enough.
And of course, if there's ever a time that you are struggling or
anything, it is always OK to reach out and talk to others.
And please don't feel like you're alone in that fight
because a lot of people are going through it and it is
something that a lot of people feel that they have to keep
inside. And I disagree with that
completely. I think that everyone goes
through the things and talking about it makes us stronger and
also is why I had partnered with or an ambassador to find the
good brand because that way I can help to spread their
message. And also when I wear the shirt
that I have, it says to take care of your mental health so
people can see it and be like, oh, absolutely I should do that
Because, you know, I feel like the universe sends signs to the
people who need it and maybe they'll put me in a place where
someone will see that and that'll be the sign that they
need to go talk to someone. Hopefully it helps someone one
day. But that is what I have for the
questions for this episode. I did have fun recording this
one. It actually, I was afraid it was
going to go either super long or super short and it was a lot of
rambling. But yeah, of course, come hang
out on stream anytime at the dives with sharks.
I appreciate you guys listening, following.
It's kind of crazy. I got to figure out like what
milestones to post when we hit because I feel like everyone I
want to post, I'm like, I just haven't been in this territory
ever. So I don't know what to what to
post and what not to. But come hang out, ask all the
questions, keep sending DMS. I appreciate all of you so, so
much. I'm going to try to get another
episode out sometime soon as I'm getting energy back.
So hopefully we'll have more normal schedule I'll go with,
but I mean, you all know how wildly this comes out.
So we'll see what happens. But you all take care of
yourselves and take care of each other.
Be kind and I will see you in the next one.