The Dorsal Fin

“Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December” premieres tonight at 9pm on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.”

Discovery’s description of “Killer Sharks” includes references to events in 1957 at a South African resort in which “the white sands are clogged with dead bodies and the sapphire waters are red with blood.” The description goes on to note that the suspect is a single “massive rogue shark with a taste for human flesh.” The disclaimer before the promotional clips for this episode also note that the show contains content that may “disturb viewers.”

In addition to “Killer Sharks,” Discovery will be re-airing the 2007 show “Top Five Eaten Alive” at 8pm, which recounts the stories of five shark attack survivors.

Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week”, hosted by Andy Samberg, begins tonight on the Discovery Channel. “Great White Invasion” airs at 9pm, followed by “Jaws Comes Home” at 10pm.

“Great White Invasion” will follow Chris Fallows and a team of scientists who are trying to figure out why white sharks are “suddenly” being seen “in large numbers” among swimmers and surfers along the coasts of South Africa, Australia, and California.

“Jaws Come Home” documents researcher Greg Skomal’s 2010 tracking study of five Atlantic white sharks tagged off of Chatham, Massachusetts. Skomal’s goal is to better understand the sharks migration up and down the eastern coast of the U.S. through tracking data obtained from satellite tags.

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube Channel has released another round of promotional videos from Shark Week 2011. The clip is taken from “Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December” and portrays a rather gruesome shark attack reenactment. For anybody familiar with the film “Jaws,” there are more than a few noticeable similarities between this clip and the Alex Kintner scene.

Another clip from “Rogue Sharks” (also a part of this year’s “Shark Week”) features even more blood and gore. The clip from “Rogue Sharks” is narrated by the victim of a white shark attack who recounts his encounter. The victim was bitten twice and after the second bit the shark remained latched on to his leg.

Discovery’s “Shark Week” has faced criticism in the past for this kind of programming, and it seems that these types of shows are in the minority for this year’s “Shark Week.” So, do you think the style of programming seen in the clip above belongs on “Shark Week” or not? You can share your opinion the comments section.

DiscoveryNetworks has shared the video above which focuses on sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus). The feature is shot at the Florida Aquarium after it had recently added 6 sand tigers to the aquarium. Allan Marshall (VP of Operations for Florida Aquarium) says that the species is ideal to help educate people about sharks. The sand tiger’s “menacing” appearance really grabs the attention of aquarium visitors, once the sharks have the aquarium visitors’ attention, the aquarium staff can then educate them about the true nature of the sharks.

Sand tiger sharks, aka grey nurse sharks (AUS) and ragged tooth sharks (RSA), are generally viewed as docile and harmless to humans. According to Marshall, the species, was wrongfully blamed in the past for attacks on humans, simply due to its appearance, which led to hunting of the species. The species is now protected in Australian, South African, and U.S. waters.

DiscoveryNetworks also added a second video focusing on the journey that the six sand tiger sharks made to get to the Florida Aquarium.

In case you were wondering why Andy Samberg is Shark Week’s Chief Shark Officer, DiscoveryNetworks has posted a brief interview with Samberg addressing the issue. Reasons for Samberg’s role include Samberg’s love of sharks, not being a good swimmer, and Justin Timberlake turning down the position.

“Shark Week” begins Sunday July 31 at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.