The Newport Aquarium boasts having the “largest collection of shark rays on display in the world.” However, the aquarium is down one shark ray after their latest addition, a 6-year-old female, died on Monday, according to a USA Today report.

Shark rays (Rhina ancylostoma), also known as bowmouth guitarfish, have a distinctive appearance with broad rounded head like a “traditional” ray with dorsal and caudal fins similar in appearance to sharks. The species is typically found in Indo-Pacific waters and spends most of its time on the ocean floor. The shark ray is listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN red list.

The Newport Aquairum’s newest shark ray was recently added to the “Shark Ray Bay” last week. The mating process for the species typically involves the biting down on the female’s pectoral fin to hold her. The aquarium’s curator said the in this instance the male bit the recently added female in the abdomen. She was removed from the exhibit when aquarium staff noticed she was in distress. An ultrasound revealed internal bleeding which resulted in the shark ray’s death.

For more on the story, check out USA Today’s “Mating injury kills Kentucky aquarium’s shark ray” article.

This Thursday, SyFy will be serving up yet another original shark-themed horror flick. Sharknado features…well, sharks and tornadoes along with the type of special effects that viewers of SyFy original movies have come to expect. The film’s cast includes Ian Ziering (90210 supporting cast member) and Tara Reid.

Sharknado premieres July 11 at 9/8c on SyFy.

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube channel recently added the first promo for its 2013 Shark Week. The over-the-top style ad features the fictitious “Snuffy the seal” as his return to the wild is being celebrated following his rescue and rehabilitation. Poor Snuffy doesn’t make it very far, though, as a breaching white shark snaps him out of the air before he ever makes it back to the sea.

It looks like Discovery is going with the tagline of “it’s a bad week to be a seal” for this year’s edition of the much celebrated week of shark-themed programming, but they go on to say that “it’s pretty awesome” for the rest of us. I guess the rest of us will just have to wait until August 4 to see for ourselves.

What do you think of Discovery’s latest promo for Shark Week 2013? Sound off in the comments below!

WARNING: Video features language that some may find offensive.

YouTube user Rob Pompilio recently posted a video featuring a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) off of the coast of New Jersey. According to the video description, the footage was shot on January 9, 2013 about 30 miles from shore. Atlantic white sharks are known to travel north along the east coast of the U.S. during the summer months seeking cooler waters, as temperatures rise during the summer months.

A new IMAX 3D film titled “Great White Shark” premiered over the weekend in select cities. The film aims to “unravel the mystery” of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tell the true story of its role as an apex predator in the ocean environment. The mission of the film is to change the public’s perspective and attitude toward the great white shark.

You can visit the film’s official website for a list of upcoming locations and release dates of “Great White Shark.”

eNCA reports that researchers from Stellenbosch University are performing a test trial of a new “eco-friendly” shark barrier near Dyer Island off the coast of Gansbaai, SA.

The Sharksafe Barrier System consists of connected rigid pipes that span from the ocean floor to the surface. The system is designed to resemble kelp and emits a “magnetic barrier,” which will deter sharks from attempting to swim through the artificial barrier, according to the team who developed the system.

Unlike “traditional” shark nets that indiscriminately kill various forms of marine life, the Sharksafe Barrier System is designed to serve as a physical barrier to merely deter sharks from passing through. The system will span from shoreline to shoreline, as well as from the sea floor to the surface, to create an all-encompassing barrier, unlike traditional nets.

In addition to researchers from Stellenbosch University, PhD candidate Craig O’Connell (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) and renown diver and white shark conservationist Mike Rutzen have collaborated on the project, which has been under development since 2011. The team plans to finish testing the barrier within the next month before submitting requests for permission to use the barriers at Cape Town’s Muizenberg and Fish Hoek beaches.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s 60-day campaign for Massachusetts great white shark license plate pre-orders is about at the half-way mark. The minimum number of pre-orders required to make the license plate a reality is 1,500. Unfortunately, the current number of pre-orders sits at 245, according to the white shark license plate campaign site.

If you’re a Massachusetts resident who would be interested in adorning your vehicle with a snazzy-looking great white shark license plate, head on over to the campaign site and reserve your plate for $40 before time runs out. If you know a Massachusetts resident who might be interested in the plates, please spread the word.

For non-Massachusetts residents, would you be interested in a similar shark-themed license plate if your state/province offered it? Sound off in the comments below.

Grant Bond got a little more than he bargained for off of Perth, Western Australia earlier this year. Bond was fishing from his kayak when a shark decided to get up close and personal with him. He thought at the time of the encounter that it was a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) giving his kayak a workout, but after reviewing the footage he was able to identify the species as a shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus).

When Bond first encountered the mako, it was circling his kayak, and after about five minutes he thought the shark had left the area. It was at this point that the shark, estimated at 3m in length, starting bumping the kayak. Rather than playing a game of bumper-boats with the shark, Bond decided to call it a day and head back to shore. Bond believes that the shark was attracted to his kayak by some herring in the foot well. He threw the herring as far from the kayak as he could, cut his anchor line, and headed in under sail.

Bond went on to point out that even though the mako nudged and rubbed up against his kayak multiple times, it never bit the vessel. He said the old adage about the worst day of fishing being better than the best day of work turned out not to be true, after all. Thanks to Grant for sharing this video!

Note: There was a typo in the date on the video, which was shot on March 10.