yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island | Most Wanted Sharks


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

NARRATOR: But everyone loves Lucy. The story of this great white is the classic "Finding Nemo" tale, but about 2,000 pounds heavier. When divers spotted Lucy back in 2008, her distinctive tail wound looked fresh. And she seemed in desperate need of a good meal. A damaged caudal often puts a shark's life in danger. It's crucial for propelling a shark through water.

APRYL BOYLE: Lucy's tail deformity could be from fighting with another shark when she was younger.

NARRATOR: And Lucy's not only survived, she's thrived. She did it by modifying the way she swims to sway a little more than the average great white. And now Lucy's adoring public keeps an eye out for her signature floppy fin and her unique swagger. Unlike other female great whites, Lucy returns to Guadalupe Island every year. And that is because she has not given birth yet. If she did, she'd be gone at least 12 to 18 months, because that's how long a shark pregnancy lasts.

NARRATOR: Fans don't know for sure why Lucy is still not a mom. It could be that male sharks are turned off by her misshapen fin. Or maybe Lucy hasn't yet met Zapata, the most famous and recognizable male great white of Guadalupe Island. This tough guy is a 14-footer, who has mixed it up with other apex predators and has the battle scars to prove it.

RALPH COLLIER: Zapata is a very large shark. To sustain the wounds it received, the attacking shark must have been very large, possibly 18 or 20 feet in length.

NARRATOR: He might not play well with other sharks. But luckily, unlike Bullet, Zapata actually enjoys hanging out with people. That's my favorite shark right there, Zapata.

NARRATOR: Scarboard, at an intimidating 18 feet long, isn't just one of the most massive sharks at Guadalupe Island, she's one of the biggest great whites in the world. But like all sharks, no one will know for sure how old she is until after she dies.

RALPH COLLIER: One of the ways to determine the age of a shark is by dissecting it. If we cut through a vertebra, we can see rings similar to those of a tree showing annual growth. She got her nautically themed name because of scars on the right, or starboard, side of her body.

APRYL BOYLE: When sharks engage in head-to-head combat, they can do incredible damage to each other, which is what happened to Scarboard. But sharks have amazing healing abilities.

NARRATOR: Scarboard shows up at Guadalupe every other year. And the next time you see her, many of her scars might be gone. Bullet, Lucy, Zapata, and Scarboard, four sharks whose physical flaws grabbed our attention and helped make them famous.

More Articles

View All
How to Engage + Motivate Your Students Even When You're Remote!
Thanks everyone for getting started. Hold on one moment and we’ll begin in about 10 minutes. Okay everyone, this is Jeremy Schieffeling with Khan Academy. Thank you so much for your patience getting started this morning or this afternoon, depending on wh…
i can't believe this happened.
What’s up you guys? It’s Graham here. So I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you watching, especially the notification squad who smashes the like button and comments down below for the YouTube algorithm before…
Finding derivative with fundamental theorem of calculus: chain rule | AP®︎ Calculus | Khan Academy
Let’s say that we have the function capital F of x, which we’re going to define as the definite integral from 1 to sine of x. So that’s an interesting upper bound right over there of 2t minus 1, and of course dt. What we are curious about is trying to fi…
Inside The Most Powerful Startup Community In The World
In 2005, four people came together to make something new. They thought if we bring together smart technologists and give them a little bit of money and a really good community, it would give founders a huge advantage. Out of that first Y Combinator batch …
Introduction to inference about slope in linear regression | AP Statistics | Khan Academy
In this video, we’re going to talk about regression lines. But it’s not going to be the first time we’re talking about regression lines. And so, if the idea of a regression is foreign to you, I encourage you to watch the introductory videos on it. Here, w…
In Search of Healthy Masculinity
As a man, what is your place in the modern world? Qualities usually associated with being masculine don’t seem to have a lot of value anymore. Strength is rarely necessary. Hiding emotions isn’t appreciated and can even be considered unhealthy. Self-relia…