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
Escape Competition Through Authenticity
This reminds me of your tweet about escaping competition through authenticity. It sounds like part of this is a search for who you are. It’s both a search and a recognition because sometimes when we search our egos, we want to be something that we aren’t.…
Could Sea Breezes Increase Shark Attacks? | When Sharks Attack
The breeze, it seems like an innocuous detail, but according to meteorologist Joe Merchant, it’s a vital piece of evidence when analyzing shark attacks. “I’ve been a meteorologist for eight years for the National Weather Service, and I recently started s…
Bringing the Meat to Higher Ground | The Great Human Race
Can’t be too greedy right now. In the midday heat of East Africa, lions often retreat to the shade and return to their kill when the sun starts to set. This lion’s gonna come back. I wish we could take the height and everything else. I can’t get it all…
Introduction to centripetal force | AP Physics 1 | Khan Academy
Just for kicks, let’s imagine someone spinning a flaming tennis ball attached to some type of a string or chain that they’re spinning it above their head like this. Let’s say they’re spinning it at a constant speed. We’ve already described situations like…
Senate confirmation as a check on the judicial branch | US government and civics | Khan Academy
When we think about how the executive or the legislative branch have some form of check or power over the judicial branch, a key element of that is the executive’s ability to appoint judges to federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. But it’s not…
15 Ways To Sound Smarter Than You Are
What if there is a way to make yourself sound not just smart, but truly captivating, even when you have absolutely nothing to say? Well, my friend, there is. This is how you sound smarter than you actually are. Welcome to Alux! In conversations, timing i…