The Dorsal Fin

The Associated Press have posted this video which is described as a great white shark “terrorizing” fishermen off of Western Australia. The white shark circled the boat and “grabbed the motor,” according to Mark Kik, one of the fisherman aboard the boat.

YouTube user mightymuffinful recently posted this video featuring some human interaction with a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) filmed in the Sea of Cortez. While there’s nothing groundbreaking here in terms of videography, it’s a nice little video that documents what appears to be some fairly responsible interaction between humans and the shark.

On a side note, the video does mention that whale sharks are “vegetarians,” which is bit of a misnomer. While whale sharks are filter feeders and not considered to be predatory fish, their diet does include krill (a small crustacean) and planktonic animals.

In stark contrast to a few of the not-so-spectacular white shark clips that NatGeo has released over the past day or so, they also released this excellent whale shark footage within the past week. Hopefully, NatGeo will focus more on this kind of footage and less on guys falling out of boats and “great white attacks.”

This is how it’s done National Geographic. Nice work!

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.

YouTube user opimoby (videographer Ross Isaacs) posted the video above featuring a children’s song titled “I’m a Shark.” The video is an excerpt from “Bubbles – On the Reef,” an educational children’s video intended to introduce children to ocean life. The video, shot in high definition, follows Bubbles the shrimp on an adventure through Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The video information for “I’m a Shark” touches on issues such as shark finning and the theory that shark attacks on humans are the result of mistaken identity. All-in-all it seems that “Bubbles – On the Reef” sends a pro-ocean message to children, based on the excerpts and video information available. For more info about the video, visit Ocean Planet Images.

While the “I’m a Shark” tune isn’t quite as catchy to me as The Great White Shark Song, it seems like it’s sending a pro-shark educational message to a younger audience, which hopefully will counteract some of the more negative stereotypes associated with sharks in the media.