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
Kayaking Over a Waterfall | Science of Stupid: Ridiculous Fails
I think it’s time we the scientifically challenged concentrate on one of science’s heroes, Tyler Bradt, kayaker extraordinaire. He wants to kayak over this, Palouse Falls in Washington. Thousands of cubic feet of water pass over this fall every second and…
Homeroom with Sal & Dave Travis - Wednesday, September 9
Hi, everyone! Sal here from Khan Academy. Welcome to our “Homeroom Live Stream.” I’m out here in California where the sky is looking very ominous. It looks like, yeah, you can’t—it’s bizarre. I’ve never quite seen this. For those of y’all who don’t know, …
Revolutions 101 | National Geographic
[Narrator] Politics are a powerful and dynamic human creation, a truth most evident in revolutions around the world. A revolution, in a political sense, is a sudden and seismic shift from one form of government to another. While revolutions come in many…
STRAPPED INTO A SINKING HELICOPTER (with U.S. Marines) - Smarter Every Day 201
(helicopter flying) (alarm systems beeping) [Instructor] Ditching, ditching, ditching. (water rushing) So, I’m alive. (laughs) All right, here’s the deal. My last mission as a U.S. government civil servant was in a helicopter off the coast of Hawaii. W…
PPCs for increasing, decreasing and constant opportunity cost | AP Macroeconomics | Khan Academy
So we have three different possible production possibilities curves for rabbits and berries here, which we’ve already talked about in other videos. But the reason why I’m showing you three different curves is because these three different curves clearly h…
Jeff Bezos Customer Obsession 1999
ready. We want to ensure that we have the knowledge and expertise to deliver value to our customers. Each new venture comes with its own set of challenges, but that’s where our adaptability and willingness to learn come into play. We are committed to und…