1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,040 Hello and welcome back Shark. Here is to another episode of 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Deep Dives with Sharks. My name is Alex. 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,040 I'm the guy that tells you all the shark facts and we find out 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,160 if they're true or not. So far a lot of them have been 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,520 true and if they're not, well that's why we have Correction 6 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:17,560 Corner. We've made it to another episode 7 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,440 and I got it out only a week late, which it's a holiday 8 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,440 miracle. Now, I do hope that everyone had 9 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,680 a good Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holidays 10 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,760 you guys might celebrate and of course, an amazing new year as 11 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,600 well. I want to thank you all once 12 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,360 again for being here, listening when new episodes come out and 13 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,600 sending in requests and so many messages. 14 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,920 I got a few really nice messages over the past couple weeks and 15 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,520 it's been incredible to get all these messages from Shark Here's 16 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,200 across the globe and join the podcast and sending in 17 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:46,880 suggestions. It's been incredible. 18 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,120 I'm still rolling with the three shark episodes because in the 19 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,840 couple weeks that it's been since the last one came out, it 20 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,480 appears more people listen to the end of that episode. 21 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:57,840 And you know, I'm just going to keep that going. 22 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,000 So let me know what you think in the comments or on Instagram or 23 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,560 really anywhere else. And of course, if you want to go 24 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:05,360 back to the other way, let me know that as well. 25 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,360 We'll try to keep going there and give you what you want 26 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,520 because if people like more sharks, we'll make that happen. 27 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,640 And if they don't, well, we'll do less. 28 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,360 But of course, you guys can follow along on Instagram at 29 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,800 deep dives with sharks, over on Twitch at deep dives with 30 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,000 sharks, and of course, couple other places. 31 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,560 I'll try to put a link tree up somewhere so that way we can 32 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,480 hopefully get all those compiled somewhere. 33 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,000 But to jump right into it, the first shark that we're going to 34 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,960 do for this week is going to be 6 kill sharks, specifically the 35 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:37,080 blunt nose, 6 kill. Now 6 kill sharks are in the 36 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:41,000 family Hexakaidae. This family has more members 37 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,160 that are extinct than alive, but they do have dogfish and 38 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,240 Greenland sharks. So they have some sharks to 39 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,200 spend the holidays with which is rather nice. 40 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,680 Now these sharks kind of look like a mix between the dogfish 41 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,720 and Greenland shark, so it makes sense why they're all related as 42 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,160 they have a rounder head like the Greenland sharks but a 43 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,880 longer tail like the dogfish. These sharks tend to grow to be 44 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,400 about 18 to 20 feet or 5.5 to 6.1 meters. 45 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,039 They do vary in size based on gender, as males will grow to be 46 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:13,440 about 3.1 to 3.3 meters or 11 to 14 feet. 47 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,120 The Blunt Nose 6 gill shark is usually tan in color, although 48 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,520 some have been observed to be brown or even black. 49 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,880 They have a distinct line that separates their counter shading 50 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:25,560 on their light underbellies and their Gray top. 51 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,760 They often have some spots along their sides that kind of look 52 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,720 like stains and the order they get, the more stains they get. 53 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,640 It's kind of like how humans get more spots and marks on us as we 54 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:36,240 age. You know, scars, liver spots, 55 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:37,960 things like that, the whole 9 yards. 56 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,760 Now the 6th skill is typically around 1100 lbs when fully grown 57 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:48,480 or 500 kilograms, although they can get up to 2200 lbs or 1000 58 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,080 kilograms which is insane. They have a large round face 59 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,960 that kind of looks like a Greenland shark, but it has more 60 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,440 rounded nose and it's flatter on its face. 61 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:02,520 Smaller wide set eyes. A wide mouth that has 6 rows of 62 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,640 teeth that resemble the teeth on a saw. 63 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:06,400 Now that'd be on their lower jaw. 64 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,240 Their upper jaw has smaller teeth that I I'm assuming help 65 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,920 with gripping things but I'm not quite sure. 66 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:12,400 I couldn't really find too much on that. 67 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,440 These sharks also have fins which is rather shocking. 68 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,040 Their pectoral fins are lower on their body, similar to a Makos, 69 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,960 and they have square pairs of caudal and anal fins. 70 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,120 Their dorsal fin is above their caudal fins and it's situated 71 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,080 just before their tail. Their tail is longer on top than 72 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,160 the bottom, which helps when they're swimming towards the 73 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,280 ocean floor because it's kind of hard to move the entire time, 74 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,240 your tails just dragging through the sand and doesn't really get 75 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,160 you to go too far. Now as her name was suggest, 76 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,240 they have 6 skills. Usually sharks have 5 gill 77 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,240 slits, so these guys just get to breathe that much better. 78 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,160 It's like having a third lung. And while that is a bit of a 79 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,960 joke, there's also a lot of truth behind it. 80 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:54,960 These sharks did evolve to have that 6th gill as they inhabit 81 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,080 areas of the ocean with little to no oxygen. 82 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,120 Having an extra gill helps to bring in any oxygen that could 83 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:02,920 be around. So if you feel like you need a 84 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,040 little bit more air, stay away from a 6th gill shark. 85 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:06,840 They're going to steal the breath right from your lungs. 86 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,480 It's terrible. Now the blunt nose 6 skill shark 87 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,560 can be found around every continent except for Antarctica. 88 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:13,840 They don't like the cold that much. 89 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,120 They have been observed around the southeastern United States, 90 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,200 including the Gulf of Mexico, the West Coast of the US, 91 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,120 Canada, Mexico, all around Europe, north of northern 92 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,120 Africa, Argentina, Chile, Namibia or Namibia. 93 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:31,000 I can't remember exactly how to say that. 94 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,640 That country. Iceland, Madagascar, Japan, 95 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:39,720 Australia, Hawaii, Greece, Malta, the Korean Peninsula, and 96 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,840 southern Central America from Honduras to Panama, so quite a 97 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:47,720 few places there. They tend to spend their time 98 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,760 around the ocean floor, but will travel through the water column 99 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,880 off the continental shelf. They are often found between 180 100 00:04:55,160 --> 00:05:01,440 to 1100 meters deep or 590 to 3610 feet deep, although they 101 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,640 have been known to come to the surface as deep and as deep as 102 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:12,440 2500 meters or 8202 feet. At the extremes, juveniles often 103 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,120 stay closer to shore, similar to great whites for protection and 104 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,280 easier food source, but they're often not found to close. 105 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,560 They do keep a little bit off the shore, so they're not quite 106 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,160 as in as other sharks would be now. 107 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:26,560 These sharks will migrate through the water column every 108 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,000 day, searching for food specifically at night. 109 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,560 Researchers discovered when they lose that they lose more energy 110 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,240 swimming back down to deeper water than they use when they 111 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,920 swim up to the surface, which led researchers to believe that 112 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,440 they have an adaption that aids with buoyancy to help conserve 113 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,000 energy. Now, not only do the six gills 114 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,640 migrate daily, but they also migrate seasonally. 115 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,680 They follow their food as the seasons change, moving across 116 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,840 hemispheres at certain times. Now what's really cool about 117 00:05:54,840 --> 00:05:57,400 these sharks compared to others is their ability to change the 118 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,840 way they hunt and eat prey. Often sharks will stick to one 119 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:03,720 method such as nurse sharks utilizing suction feeding. 120 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:08,160 But when 6 gills switch from lateral and saw cutting when 121 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,320 eating to ambush tactics such as lunging their draw forward to 122 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,200 snatch and latch on to prey. Kind of similar to what a goblin 123 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,440 shark does, but not quite as much as they can because holy 124 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:20,760 smokes, the goblin can definitely move its jaw. 125 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,800 Now this variety helped to allow for the 6th gill to have 126 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:27,960 worldwide distribution and feed on a variety of prey. 127 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:33,400 Their prey includes raise shamara fish, shrimp, seals, 128 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,880 squid, and crabs. If necessary, they will hunt 129 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,360 outside of their normal prey to eat other sharks, Bony fish, and 130 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,440 even marine mammals. The six gill shark is 131 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,720 ovoviviparous as many other sharks and can have anywhere 132 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,320 from 22 to one O 8 pups in a litter. 133 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,520 So 108. I don't know why I said one O 8 134 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,720 it's fine we get it. This could be why they have are 135 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,640 listed as least threatened despite being aggressively 136 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,080 haunted. They have very limited 137 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,640 interaction with humans as we aren't in the deep ocean very 138 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,440 often and there are very few bites but they do occur as these 139 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,280 sharks sometimes target are targeted by sports fishers. 140 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:12,920 Their season is short which allows the population to not be 141 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,280 damaged as badly which may lead you to think well if their 142 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,840 season is short then how can they be aggressively haunted? 143 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,720 And that's an amazing question. And that's just because they 144 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,840 aren't being hunted by humans. You may have heard of the Orcas 145 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,680 Port and starboard the absolute bombs. 146 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,520 They've been hunting 6 gill and great white sharks around South 147 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,560 Africa and removing the livers with surgical precision. 148 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,400 When local authorities found the 1st 6 gill shark with his liver 149 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,160 removed, they believe that a Fisher had caught it, removed 150 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,160 the liver and threw it back until after some time the orcas 151 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,960 were reserved to be the observed to be the culprits. 152 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:50,760 They have drastically diminished the populations around South 153 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,440 Africa but have not travelled the globe to hunt them to 154 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,520 extinction. I mean, the work has probably 155 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,800 got distracted by some yachts, you know, remember when that 156 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,160 happened? I guess kind of topical or old 157 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:01,680 news, whatever we do it all around here. 158 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,200 But that of course is what I have for the six gills shark. 159 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,280 We're going to jump right into the next one, which is going to 160 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,360 be the Starry Smooth Hound. Now, the Starry Smooth Hound is 161 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,920 a member of the hound shark family, which you may have 162 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,360 already known or may have inferred simply by the name. 163 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:24,320 They typically grow to be 140cm or 4.58 feet and have only been 164 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:25,680 found in the Northern Hemisphere. 165 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,000 They're not about that Southern Hemisphere life. 166 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,960 Sorry about that. They have been found around 167 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,720 Europe and Northern Africa, but they tend to stay out of the 168 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,039 tropics because they don't like it too hot down there. 169 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,640 These sharks tend to be Gray, brown, or even bluish with some 170 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:43,480 white spots about their body. They have a long, slender body 171 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,160 with fins that appear to have been thrown at a shark and just 172 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,040 kind of stuck where they landed. Their pectoral fins are placed 173 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,520 right below their head, their dorsal fin is about 1/4 way down 174 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,440 their back, and their caudal and anal fins take up the back half 175 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:58,160 of their stomach and their second dorsal fins sits above 176 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,240 their anal fins so it's nice and weird. 177 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,840 Now their tail is larger on the top than the bottom and they're 178 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,240 adorable and I love them. These sharks often spend time 179 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,160 around 200 meters or 660 feet deep. 180 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,560 They tend to like either sandy or gravel seabed. 181 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,400 So if you're decorating for a starry smooth hound, don't go 182 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,480 with carpet or hardwood. They're just not going to 183 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,440 appreciate it despite all your efforts. 184 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:23,800 Now on top of that, the starry smooth hound has a rather 185 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,720 limited diet that mostly consists of crustaceans such as 186 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,560 crabs and various lobsters. They are ovoviviparous, which 187 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:33,520 means that they will have eggs that hatch internally, and when 188 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,200 they grow some more, they will be born. 189 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,600 For these sharks, they can have about 7 to 15 pups that are 190 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,760 about a foot long or 30 centimeters. 191 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,720 For reference, a human baby is about 50 centimeters when 192 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,760 they're born. So we're bigger, which means we 193 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,120 win. So eat it. 194 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:50,840 These sharks are near threatened, which means that 195 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,040 they aren't endangered or threatened with extinction, but 196 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,280 they aren't thriving to the point of no concern. 197 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,200 But they're doing pretty all right for right now. 198 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,280 Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot known about these 199 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,360 sharks and there's not a lot on the Internet. 200 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,160 But as more comes out, I'm going to keep the shark here's updated 201 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,160 because this was a quick one. So I'm going to keep them on the 202 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,000 list a little bit. I'm going to kind of do a 203 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,080 revisit list as well, and I'll put them on there because I feel 204 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:15,840 like there's got to be more information out there about 205 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,280 these guys and I don't want to forget about it and think I've 206 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,520 already completed them. So I'm going to look back in a 207 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,040 little while and hopefully have some more information for you 208 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,400 guys there. Now, of course, that means that 209 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,000 we've already gotten to our last shark. 210 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,600 And you guys may be thinking, well, this episode was a little 211 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,960 bit shorter, I guess. But don't worry because we've 212 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:39,480 come to the long-awaited and one that I was very excited to 213 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,920 research the black tip Reef shark. 214 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,200 Now these are easily one of my favorite sharks and I 100% blame 215 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,520 the Baltimore Aquarium and their black tip Reef exhibit. 216 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:52,320 How dare you get rid of what was formerly just a lagoon full of 217 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,040 rays to then make it this beautiful reef that houses so 218 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,360 many black tipped reef sharks and so many beautiful things. 219 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,280 The centerpiece of the aquarium is the black tipped reef. 220 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:04,920 They have various rays, quite a few black tipped reef sharks, 3 221 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,880 zebra sharks, a wobegong, and a variety of other fish. 222 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,080 They also used to have a sea turtle named Calypso, but she 223 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:13,920 unfortunately passed a few years ago and Oh my God was she 224 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:15,360 beautiful. May she rest in peace. 225 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,000 But of course we have another sea turtle behind the scenes. 226 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,760 Their name is Kai and I believe there are plans to introduce 227 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,720 them to the exhibit in the future, but I'm not entirely 228 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,280 positive. I have reached out to the 229 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:30,400 Baltimore Aquarium a couple times regarding this and have 230 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,840 not received an answer, and whenever I'm there I forget to 231 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,320 ask. So I will probably do that again 232 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,760 and maybe update you guys if I remember to do it. 233 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,280 Sorry had to geek out there real quick, but the black tip reef 234 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,280 shark is a member of the Requiem shark family which includes the 235 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,360 lemon and bull sharks as well as the white tip reef shark. 236 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:54,360 Now these sharks were first discovered on an 18171820 237 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,400 expedition after it was caught off the coast of New Guinea. 238 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,760 These sharks have been found in a wide range of areas including 239 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,920 South Africa, Madagascar, Adaman Islands. 240 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:06,840 I don't know why I always struggle with that one. 241 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,720 Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, 242 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,400 China, Hawaii, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Gilbert 243 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,480 Islands and Society Islands. Now, I do believe I saw juvenile 244 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,120 black tip reef sharks in the Galapagos Islands, but it was 245 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:22,760 dark and I'm not positive on that. 246 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,800 And it was also 10 years ago. So, you know, memory tends to 247 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:28,560 fade a little bit as time goes on. 248 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,240 Also, that means that I graduated high school 10 years 249 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,560 ago and that fact just simply hurts my soul. 250 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:40,440 For those of you that have not graduated 10 years ago, just 251 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,080 wait. It feels very weird when you get 252 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,520 to this point, but that is a total digression. 253 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,840 Now these sharks are about 1.6 to 1.8 meters long, or 5.2 to 254 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,440 5.9 feet. Although some individuals can 255 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,240 reach lengths of two meters or 6.6 feet. 256 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,120 They're often used as a good basis for what the average shark 257 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,600 length is, as many people know of the big ones such as great 258 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,080 whites, tigers, threshers and hammer heads that tend to grow 259 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,440 to be about four meters or 13 feet or larger. 260 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:10,920 But most sharks tend to be around the size of a black tip 261 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,720 reef shark. Now they are Gray in color with 262 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:15,760 black tips on their fins, hence the name. 263 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,360 And they have a rounder face with eyes that sit close to 264 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,280 their nose. Their face is also kind of like 265 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:23,600 flat, like vertically. So it kind of looks like the 266 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,600 front of their head was squished a little bit and pulled out. 267 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,160 But it's very smooth. It's you got to see them. 268 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,720 They're, they're beautiful. Now their fins are smaller with 269 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,360 a pair of pectoral fins, anal fins and caudal fins. 270 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,200 They also have dorsal fin that sits pretty much at the center 271 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,120 of their back. Now their bodies are slender and 272 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,360 they move to the water rather gracefully unless they're 273 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,120 hunting, then they move rather frantically. 274 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,600 Now the black to reef shark often travels in groups, as do 275 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,480 many reef sharks and will hunt in groups as well as it appears 276 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,440 to give them more confidence because you know, sometimes you 277 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,320 just be timid. Now there are one of the most 278 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,520 abundant apex predators among reefs and have one of the 279 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,600 largest variety of diets I've seen since doing this podcast, 280 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,400 so buckle in. Might take a minute or two, but 281 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:09,600 they mostly eat fish found around the reef such as mullet, 282 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:14,640 grunters, groupers, jacks, wrasses, surgeonfish, mojaras, 283 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:20,000 smelt, whitings, octopi, squid, cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, other 284 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,880 shrimp. And they'll eat smaller sharks 285 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,080 and rays. But around Australia they'll 286 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,560 also eat sea snakes and around the Palmyra Atoll, they will 287 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,520 also target seabirds. Now you may think that wasn't 288 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,240 too long, but we're not done yet because they've also found 289 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,520 random things in their stomach that include turtle, grass, 290 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,960 algae, coral, bryozoa, hydrozoa stones and rats. 291 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,120 How in the world they're eating rats, I don't know, but that one 292 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,640 really threw me off. But that's just the name of a 293 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,200 few of the things that they eat now around India. 294 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,840 The black tip reef shark will force its prey closer to shore, 295 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,360 making for easier eating. Of course, when they get further 296 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:01,200 in, they can hang out a little bit, but the animals that 297 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,640 they're hunting tend to panic as they get closer to the shore, 298 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,320 forcing them back towards the sharks. 299 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,720 Now, these sharks are highly curious, and we'll investigate 300 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,040 divers if they're splashing water around or banging metal 301 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,680 equipment against hard objects. But they don't see color very 302 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,080 well because, you know, they're just cool like that. 303 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:20,600 They're social justice warriors. We love it. 304 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,280 But their eyes have evolved to see movement rather well. 305 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,800 So what they lack in color, they make up for in movement. 306 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,000 They can identify small objects about 5 to 10 feet away from 307 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,960 them, which doesn't really sound that impressive because, you 308 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,360 know, we tend to be think we can see a lot further. 309 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,480 But truthfully, we can't really see anything underwater. 310 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,080 So they got us beat. Even with goggles, we can't see 311 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,320 that far because water tends to be pretty dense and block light 312 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,960 at certain distances. So everything just kind of is 313 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,360 blue, you know, which I recently realized. 314 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:53,560 Oh, wait, that's probably where out of the blue came from 315 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,600 because wouldn't that make sense, how things just kind of 316 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,920 appear? But no, I was wrong, actually. 317 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,600 Out of the blue comes from a saying from the 1800s, a bolt 318 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,080 out of the blue because there was a random lightning strike on 319 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:07,880 a blue sky day. Apparently. 320 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:13,760 So yeah, I'm disappointed, but I'm going to make a petition to 321 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,160 change that because out of the blue sounds so much better when 322 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:18,800 related to the ocean. Anyway, this is we're getting 323 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,760 really off topic, but when it comes to mating, females will 324 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:25,400 typically have a line of males following them as they will 325 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,920 release chemicals into the water known as pheromones, and that 326 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:30,520 gets the males to come a little bit closer. 327 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,000 The males will often bite at the female around her fins or gills, 328 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:37,160 as many sharks tend to do while mating. 329 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,320 Now, black tip reef sharks are viviperous, which is one that we 330 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:43,680 have not used very often, which means they give birth. 331 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:47,760 So there's not really a whole lot of eggs or anything involved 332 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:49,240 there. It's just Mama and little baby 333 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,760 sharks. Now, they tend to be pregnant 334 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,560 for around 10:50 months and then travel to shallow water to give 335 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,560 birth to about two to five pups. So not the most we've heard 336 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,560 either, but that's not a huge gestation period. 337 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,640 So they can pump these guys out pretty quick. 338 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:06,920 Now, these pups then form large groups for protection and to 339 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,640 help with hunting because when you're a small shark, you need a 340 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,680 little help. And having a lot of little guys 341 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,760 with you makes hunting a bit easier and getting picked off a 342 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,079 lot less likely, especially the larger the group. 343 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:21,839 These sharks have a lot of human interaction as they spend time 344 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:24,319 close to shore and divers tend to like reefs. 345 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,400 Despite this, there have only been 21 bytes, with 11 being 346 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,480 unprovoked in 65 years of keeping track of the data, which 347 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,720 is staggeringly low numbers now. They are very timid around 348 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:37,880 humans and tend to flee rather than fight. 349 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,480 Now, I did find that incredibly interesting, especially since I 350 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,520 learned that in 1982, researchers initially thought 351 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,000 that the black tip reef shark closest relative was the nervous 352 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,360 shark. But in 1988, they added four 353 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:53,520 more sharks that were discovered to be closely related. 354 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:57,120 And in 1998 that expanded to 10. So for those of you a little bit 355 00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:59,640 confused, yes, there is a shark called the nervous shark. 356 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:04,760 And I love that and get to learn a little bit more about that if 357 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,240 we do an episode on them. So, you know, just just saying, 358 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,440 the black tipped reef sharks are listed as vulnerable because 359 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,920 they are haunted for their liver oil, their fins and their meat, 360 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:19,080 but they're not considered to be in danger of overfishing or 361 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,160 considered commercially important really. 362 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,840 But it is possible to be overfished if the conditions are 363 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,760 not monitored and of course, if protections are raised. 364 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,920 You can see these sharks at many aquariums as they are smaller, 365 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,440 they reproduce pretty easily and they're relatively easy to care 366 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,160 for by staff, especially when compared to other sharks such as 367 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,120 the great white, which they've unsuccessfully kept in 368 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:43,840 captivity. So they just kind of keep having 369 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,360 to get rid of them or they end up dying, which isn't great. 370 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:48,560 But the black Terry sharks in quite a few. 371 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,360 But that is what I have for this episode. 372 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,480 I want to thank you all once again for the millionth time 373 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,960 probably for listening to this episode and all the other 374 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,680 episodes that you've listened to and hanging out, interacting 375 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,600 everything there. Follow along on the Instagram at 376 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,280 deep dives with sharks. Same thing for Twitch. 377 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,640 Also, if you want to come hang out and chat, send Adm anything 378 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:11,200 like that, you're more than welcome to do that. 379 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,040 I tend to run more polls and stuff on the Discord and over on 380 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,840 Instagram. But you know, thanks for 381 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:20,120 listening. Appreciate you guys. 382 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,000 Be kind to each other, be kind to yourselves as well. 383 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:25,600 If you stayed to the end, you're going to get a little mental 384 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,240 health. Pick me up, I guess. 385 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,000 I don't know, but just take care of yourselves. 386 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:35,080 Give yourself a little slack. Make 2025 incredible and I will 387 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:36,840 see you in the next one.