The Dorsal Fin

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.

This “Shark Week” promo from DiscoveryNetworks looks like it might have been better being left on the cutting room floor. It’s from the “Killer Sharks: The Attacks of Black December” and features some noticeably awkward editing that splices in out-of-place white shark footage clearly shot from a different cage. While people have come to expect high quality shark programming from “Shark Week,” this particular sequence looks somewhat disappointing.

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

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.

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube channel offers up a preview clip of the upcoming show “Jaws Comes Home” which features footage shot around the carcass of whale which several blue sharks (Prionace glauca), as well as an an 18′ female white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), have come to feed on.

Researcher Greg Skomal and cameraman Nick Caloyianis take the opportunity to film/photograph the encounter from a cage, which is being supported by buoys. After taking an interest in the orange buoys supporting the cage (which the narrator dramatically describes as “attacking”), the white shark becomes trapped between the surface and the top of the cage.

While situations involving wild animals will always have a level of unpredictability, hopefully the engineers behind this particular cage design/setup will take this event into consideration with future designs.

Discovery’s Shark Week 2011 media blitz has begun. The recently released promotional clip for Shark Week 2011 is set to the tune of Lady Gaga’s “Teeth,” and features footage from upcoming Shark Week episodes.

On the plus side, there are no staged fake shark attacks that look like they were taken from one of SyFy’s shark-themed horror movies in the new promotional clip.

Shark Week 2011, which will be hosted by Andy Samberg, begins July 29 at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.