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
Why America Is Going Bankrupt
What’s up, Graham? It’s guys here, and if you check the news, I guarantee you’re going to see headlines that explain that the U.S. is on the brink of a recession. The debt default could trigger the Dollar’s collapse, and the everything bubble is bursting.…
The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind
[music playing] [motor revving] JASON SILVA: What does it take to power a global civilization to connect billions of people across continents? It takes the power of transportation. From the beginning, speed and strength were paramount in the hunt, on the…
Why I DON'T flip houses (revealing my favorite real estate investing approach)
What’s up you guys, it’s Graham here. So one of the questions I get asked a lot is, am I going to be flipping this place or am I going to be selling it in the short term? The answer is no. In fact, of all five places I bought, I’ve never once wanted to se…
Her Parents Made the Ultimate Sacrifice for Democracy—She Continues the Fight | Short Film Showcase
[Music] In 1983 my father was elected president of [Applause] Nigeria. He came with a platform that said hope; farewell to poverty. [Applause] We will appoint several women, not just one, not just two, not just three, but several women into the governmen…
Warren Buffett's 5 Rules for Money
So if you clicked on this video, it’s fair to say that you want to learn how to build wealth and not be broke. Thankfully for us, billionaire investor Warren Buffett has provided us with five key principles that will help you start building wealth and avo…
2020 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting (Full Version)
Well, it’s uh 3:45 in Omaha, and this is the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway. It doesn’t look like an annual meeting; it doesn’t feel exactly like an annual meeting, and it particularly doesn’t feel like an annual meeting because, uh, my partner 60 y…