On the morning of Monday, December 7, the lifeless body of an ordinarily feared sea creature washed up on the sands of Wrightsville Beach. The sight of an approximately 20-year-old great white shark brought in attention from all over the Wilmington area.
People made their way over to the beach to take advantage of this great "selfie" photo opportunity. Posts were made on all sorts of social media by several of my friends, local surf shops, and news websites. It seemed as though everyone wanted to get their own snapshot with the shark, either while giving a thumbs up beside the animal or holding its mouth open.
The presence of a great white is a generally terrifying concept, however, being around the 8-foot-long predator didn't phase anybody since it had died. The chance to pose up close with a shark is an understandably appealing opportunity. I don't blame anyone for wanting to take a neat selfie with the animal. A dead and harmless shark is cool to take a picture with, but sharks are equally cool when they're alive and well.
While the presence of sharks is fresh in the minds of locals in the Wilmington area (at a time unrelated to Shark Week, or a string of shark attacks on the East Coast), I'd like to bring attention to the raw beauty of sharks.
These powerful animals are so often feared and given a bad reputation for being vicious and evil animals with thanks to Hollywood and news channels blowing shark attacks out of proportion. There have been several shark attacks in the past year, but take a look at these attacks from a shark's perspective.
Imagine you are on the search for a nice meal and you find a suitable school of fish to target. On your way over to feed, you notice a significantly larger animal swimming around in the water who is completely unaware of your presence. Given the choice between a few small fish or a single, yet heftier meal, which would you choose? Of course, without the knowledge of your target being a human, you would instinctively go for the much more filling option.
Whether it be a surfer who had been mistaken for a seal, or the flash of light from a person's jewelry being interpreted as the flash of a fish scale; the reason a shark attack occurs is often because the predator incorrectly perceives a human as another animal that they would normally prey on.
Humans are not generally on the menu for sharks. Once a shark realizes that their prey is a human, and not what they had originally thought, it isn't likely that the animal will continue to pursue the person in an attack. The J-Bay incident, involving the surfer, Mick Fanning, and his personal encounter with a great white, is a perfect example of this. In short, after a sharp tug on his leash, pulling him into the water, Fanning realized he was up-close and personal with a shark. Thankfully, his first instinct was to kick and punch which quickly let the shark know that this wasn't quite the helpless prey it had in mind. Soon after, the shark left Fanning unharmed and Fanning was helped onto the shore to cool off. The live footage of this event is great evidence to show that we, as humans, are not what they want. We fight, we scream, and we are in no way ideal for them to prey on.
The number one thing I hear from friends who are terrified to encounter a shark is, "I don't care how unlikely it is, they're dangerous and I don't want to meet one." I understand this fear entirely, but the difference is in the fact that their ability to place fear in our guts is unmatched, and I think that is beautiful. They are dangerous, but they have to be. They are some of the top predators in the marine food web. Sharks are fast, powerful, and instinctive. They are remarkably diverse, and each species has its own unique characteristics, from the hammerhead shark's unique shape to the incredible whip-like tail of a thresher shark. There are so many reasons to be awed by a shark; the first step is to allow yourself to learn more about them.
I'm sure it was a very entertaining experience being able to take pictures with a washed-up shark. It isn't often that an opportunity to be so close to a great white comes around, but if there is anything I would hope that people would take away from meeting one face to face, it would be a new appreciation for how interesting these animals really are. There is so much to know and appreciate about sharks, but all too often I find that people allow their fear to stand in the way of learning more.
