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
Gaga Tea FETISH ?? -- IMG! #33
This cat better watch out. And the only thing more badass than guns is kittens. It’s episode 33 of IMG! This is every way Mario can die on one page. And this is a Hadouken manicure. Could you grab me some peanut butter? Oh, but watch out for the honey. Sh…
How to name a boat ........ How I named my kayak
[Music] So I would, uh, like to tell you the story about how I named my boat. You can see I have a kayak, a nice green one, and, uh, as every man knows, your boat must have a name. So I decided to ask my wife what she thought I should name my boat. I had…
A Warning For Landlords | Expectation vs Reality
What’s up you guys? It’s Graham here. So we got to have a serious sit-down conversation today and talk about the business of investing in real estate, owning rental property, and more specifically becoming a landlord. Because I’ll admit it’s easy to glam…
International Space Station Tour on Earth (1g) - Smarter Every Day 141
Hey, it’s me, Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. I want to be an astronaut, so I love taking tours of the International Space Station online. But there’s a problem. Every time I do this, I can’t get my bearings. It’s like, without gravity, my main…
Presenting: Greeking Out by National Geographic Kids | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic
Foreign last week, you heard our episode on King Tut. To help us keep the ancient Egyptian party going, we’re welcoming the Greeking Out podcast from Nachio Kids. They have a special episode dedicated to another Egyptian pharaoh and mythmaker. Here to hel…
AK-47 vs Prince Rupert's Drop (at 223,000 FPS) - Smarter Every Day 170
Hey, it’s me Destin, welcome back to Smarter Every Day! I’ve been waiting on a sunny day to do this. You remember the last video I fired a .38 special versus a Prince Rupert’s drop, and the Prince Rupert’s drop won. Well, we’re going to fix that today. W…