YouTube user Jero Prieto recently posted 91 seconds of some excellent shark footage. According to the YouTube info, it was shot last month in the Galapagos. The footage features schooling hammerheads being closely followed by a whale shark. The camera angle as the whale shark passes by really makes for some fantastic footage. Take note that at no point in the video do the divers decide to hitch a ride on, stand on, or have a party with 14 of their closest friends on the whale shark.

KTLA is reporting that a 8-10′ white shark was photographed in a full-breach at Sunset Beach over the weekend. According to the report, the photos were taken by Randy Wright while he was kayaking about 300m from the shore. For more information, check out KTLA’s video report which features the photos and an interview with the photographer.

To counterbalance the stupid whale shark video posted earlier, I thought I’d re-visit one of WildAid‘s excellent shark conservation public service announcements. The video features 7-time Olympic medalist (2-time gold medalist) Amanda Beard and addresses the impact of finning and over-fishing on the world’s shark populations. While the video has been around for over a year, I figured it was worth re-visiting to hopefully give it some more exposure (it only has about 3,500 views on YouTube versus the 137,000 views of the guy riding the whale shark, as I write this). I think the people who put this one together did an awesome job.

According to OregonLive.com, the fisherman who hauled in a 12′ (3.6m) great white shark at Depoe Bay, back on August 8, 2009, has been cited with unlawful possession by by Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife division. Jason W. Robinson found the shark entangled in a crab pot and hauled it into port. An on-duty trooper arrived on the scene after the shark had already been gutted inland in an effort to “prepare it for eating.” According to the director of the Fish & Wildlife division, Capt. Walt Markee, their investigation “indicated there was no obvious self-initiated attempt by Mr. Robinson to contact any authorities after he caught the shark before bringing it to port.” Markee added that had the on-duty trooper not have arrived that the Fish & Wildlife division believes that Robinson would have kept the shark for his own personal interests. Robinson is scheduled to appear in Lincoln County Circuit Court on October 8th.

A video (see below; WARNING: graphic footage of a shark being butchered) of the Depoe Bay incident has been making the rounds on YouTube and stirring up the usual (and often times, unproductive) pro-shark vs. anti-shark sentiment that plagues most online stories involving man vs. shark scenarios. My guess is that this video footage probably isn’t going to help Mr. Robinson’s defense, if it shows up in the courtroom.

The Save Our Seas Foundation recently posted another shark conservation video on their blog. While the human fatality statistic is a bit outdated using the 2007 global statistic of just one fatal shark attack on humans, the main point still remains true even for the years that have seen a handful of fatal attacks. Shark populations are being decimated at an alarming rate. If this trend continues, irreversible damage will be done to marine ecosystems of the world. Save Our Seas have been doing an excellent job with their awareness campaigns. Keep up the awesome work!

NBC-2.com is reporting that nine bonnethead and two blacktip sharks were found dead along Tigertail Beach in Florida. A stingray and catfish were also found in the area. According to the report, officials said it was unusual for multiple sharks to wash ashore, although no cause has been identified, yet. Water samples and tissue samples have been sent off for testing.

Warning: video contains images of dead sharks.

January Jones of TV’s Mad Men spent yesterday in Washington D.C. lobbying for a ban on shark finning, according to U.S. News & World Report. Jones has been making the news as of late with her shark conservation efforts and has teamed with Oceana with a Scared FOR Sharks campaign. Jones expressed her disappointment in Discovery Channel’s Shark Wark to L.A. Times blogger, Elizabeth Snead, stating that, "They kind of paint a terrible bloody picture. It’s the wrong thing to do."

It’s good to see somebody with a bit of star power making headlines in a positive manner for shark conservation efforts. Kudos to January Jones!

The Daily Star (a UK "news" source) has really outdone itself with its story, Killer on a Beach, a report about a thresher shark washing ashore at Hayle Beach in Cornwall. The story is so over-the-top with ridiculous sensationalism that it would be funny, if it weren’t so pathetic. The "Killer on a Beach," title almost seems tame compared to the secondary title, "A SHARK that can decapitate a human with the lash of its tail has been found on a British beach." While there is an unconfirmed anecdotal account of a fisherman being decapitated by a breaching thresher, the source of this story probably also knew a kid in elementary school who ate Pop Rocks, while drinking Coke, and exploded. I suppose it’s possible to be decapitated by the tail of a thresher. If somebody took the time and effort they could probably decapitate a human with that plastic knife that comes with the Play-Doh Fun Factory (perhaps, Hasbro should add that as a warning). The Daily Star goes on to describe the thresher’s tail (caudal fin) as "razor-sharp." I’d invite the Daily Star Staff reporter to try to shave with the tail of a thresher. The article also notes that the thresher is a "close relative" of the great white shark, and it even goes so far as to include a photo of a great white shark merely swimming along, with the caption of "Lethal shark on the rampage."

Congratulations, The Daily Star, you are truly special!

Note: It is generally accepted that the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) is not considered to be aggressive toward or dangerous to humans, although divers are cautioned to treat thresher sharks with respect (this is a general rule with all aquatic life). Injuries (non-decapitating ones) to divers have been documented as a result of being struck by the thresher’s whip-like tail, which can occur if the shark is provoked.

According to the Discovery News article, Prehistoric Shark Nursery Spawned Giants, paleontologists have discovered what is believed to be a breeding ground for the prehistoric shark known as C. megalodon (you can argue amongst yourselves about whether it is Carcharodon megalodon or Charcharocles megalodon). According to the article, researchers have found a "stash" of C. megalodon teeth measuring between 0.5 inches and 3 inches (1.3-7.6cm). Adult teeth from the species can measure up to 6 inches (15cm). Researcher, Catalina Pimiento (Univ. of Fla.), has determined the teeth to belong almost exclusively to juveniles of the species, based on comparisons with other fossilized adult teeth. The find in Panama is only the second of its kind to be discovered. Another cache of juvenile C. megalodon teeth was discovered in South Carolina, although in the case of that site adult teeth as well as whale skulls were also discovered. The Panama site appears to be the first site discovered exclusively with juvenile shark teeth, indicating that the area might have served as a "shark nursery," a habitat that would have enabled juvenile sharks to reach maturity with minimized predatory threats. According to Pimiento…

"These areas are and have been essential habitats for sharks’ survival, and without them the animals would not be able to succeed. Now they are typically coastal zones where humans overfish and construct. So what this study is telling us is that these areas have been used by sharks for millions of years, and we need to preserve them so sharks can successfully reproduce and survive."

According to the National Geographic article, "Sea Monster" Bones Reveal Ancient Shark Feeding Frenzy, recent analysis of the fossilized bones of a plesisaur indicated the presences of over 80 sharks teeth embedded in the bones. The teeth were identified as belonging to the extinct species Cretalamna appendiculata, which was believed to have reached 3m in length. The plesiosaur was considerably larger at approximately 7m in length.

Paleontologist, Kenshu Shimada, believes that the plesiosaur was likely dead on near death when the shark bites occurred, as he believes that the sharks would have been no match for a healthy plesiosaur. While all of the teeth found embedded in the bones are believed to have come from the same species, the varying size and shape of the teeth indicate that sharks of various ages were involved in the "attack". Shimada estimated that at least seven different sharks of varying ages attacked the plesiosaur. For more information, check out the entire articles at National Geographic.