The Dorsal Fin

Vimeo user Alessio Federici recently posted the video above featuring some excellent dive footage from Sipadan, Malaysia. About three minutes into the video there is some white tip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) footage. White tip reef sharks typically grow to just about over 5′ in length, although in rare cases they may reach close to 7′ in length. The species typically feeds on bottom-dwelling prey such including crustaceans and cephalopods. They are generally not considered dangerous to humans unless they are harassed.

In addition to the shark footage there is some excellent footage of sea turtles, clown fish, cuttlefish, and morays.

The video, which was filmed in July of 2010, was shot using the Canon 5D Mark II’s video mode.

And now, for some positive media featuring living hammerhead sharks…

YouTube user DiveDownBelow posted this video, which was filmed at Sipadan, Malaysia. It’s refreshing to see a healthy school of hammerhead sharks in their natural habitat. Kudos!

WARNING: Article links feature images of a whale shark being butchered.

The butchering of a whale shark in Johor, Malaysia (first reported in Whale shark caught and hacked into pieces in Johor) is now being investigated Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who are working with Reefcheck Malaysia and other Malaysian groups who would like the incident to be officially reported, according to the article, Conservation group: Killing whale shark is illegal. According to the article, an unidentified member of Sea Shepherd stated that the incident depicted in the original article is "actually a criminal offense by Malaysian law." The statement was made in an email reportedly sent by the member of Sea Shepherd.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.