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
The Fascinating Lives of Bleeding Heart Monkeys (Part 2) | Nat Geo Live
Spending just a few days and weeks with these monkeys, you start to see their individual personalities start to emerge. Some of them are chatty, some of them are kind of quiet, others are just plain old mean. And while it’s interesting to watch this just …
The Past and Future of YC Bio
Uh, all right, so now Serbia and I are going to talk a bit about the past and future of YC bio. We have a clicker. Cool, look at that! So, those of you who’ve had me as their group partner know that I like to cut to the chase and talk about the elephant i…
shower thoughts that changed my life..
This is a red circle. It’s also the flag of Japan. It’s also a pie chart showing how much of Japan is Japan. It’s a hundred percent, by the way. You know, your perspective is everything, and in a way, reality can be whatever you want it to be. Neuroscien…
Warren Buffett: How to Invest in the Stock Market in 2021
There were at least 2,000 companies that entered the auto business because it clearly had this incredible future. And of course, you remember that in 2009, there were three left, two of which went bankrupt. So there is a lot more to picking stocks than fi…
Sal Khan on the importance of free, high-quality AI tools for teachers & district leaders
Hello everyone! Good afternoon. We are slowly welcoming folks into the room. Thanks for taking the time to join us. My name is Philipe Esamia. I’m the video manager here at KH Academy. Uh, shortly we will be joined by S on, the CEO and founder of KH Acade…
Why the Sky ISN'T Blue
Happy 500,000! Thank you guys so much for subscribing to my channel and for joining me on this scientific adventure. You know, if you got 500,000 people together and we all held hands in a line, it would stretch from Sydney to Melbourne or from San Franci…