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
A Traveling Circus and its Great Escape | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic
So, as I was driving around, I just noticed the big red and yellow big top in the distance, in the middle of essentially a paralyzed, frozen entire city. When I saw it, I thought to myself, “Well, I wonder what they’re doing?” That’s photographer Tomas S…
15 Signs You Have A Rich Life
Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of? Do you wake up each morning feeling grateful and fulfilled? If not, it’s time to assess if you’re truly living a rich life. But what exactly is a rich life? Is it measured by wealth and material possession…
Help Jason Give Back to Khan Academy
My name is Jason Spiers, and at the age of 19, I made a stupid decision to sell cannabis and ended up in prison. Fortunately, my mother sent me Khan Academy transcripts to start improving my education, and while I was doing that, other inmates noticed and…
Concrete and abstract nouns | The parts of speech | Grammar | Khan Academy
Hello Garans. So today I’d like to talk to you about the idea of concrete and abstract nouns. Before we do that, I’d like to get into some origins—some word origins or etymology. Um, so let’s take each of these words in turn. I think by digging into wha…
Immerse Yourself in the Rugged Beauty of Ireland's West Coast | National Geographic
I don’t think anybody can live and be here for very long periods of time without falling completely in love with the place in the sea and the hills and everything it has to offer. The cosine Harrods, there’s no defense against the Atlantic Ocean. You have…
How Much of the Earth Can You See at Once?
Foreign Michael here, and here I am, the real Michael. This Michael was created by a brilliant young man named Mitchell, who brought it to me at a meet and greet after Brain Candy Live. It is phenomenal, and obviously the most handsome Jack-in-the-Box eve…