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
How to Be a Happy Loser | A Guide for Modern Day Untouchables
Imagine a guy without a job, no success in his life, who’s a heavy drinker and still living with his parents at thirty-five. He tries finding love using a dating app, and after a few weeks of swiping, he manages to arrange a meeting with a potential mate …
Cell parts and their functions | Cells and organisms | Middle school biology | Khan Academy
So let’s imagine this scenario. It’s cold outside, and we want to make a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. Well, we’d probably need to get the ingredients first. We need some chicken bones to give the broth that distinct chicken flavor, some noodles t…
Hear How Diana Confronted Camilla | Diana: In Her Own Words
I walk into the house and stick my hand out to come the first time. I think you look at it over that we’re all upstairs and I just chatting when I suddenly noticed there’s no color move Charles upstairs. So this disturbs me, so I make my way to go downsta…
The Mobile Home Economics | Explorer
[music playing] Frank Rolfe? Yes. Billy Mintz. Hi, Billy. How are you? BILLY MINTZ (VOICEOVER): Frank Rolfe’s company is the fifth largest owner of mobile home parks in the United States. BILLY MINTZ: Beautiful place. FRANK ROLFE: Thank you very…
Summer of Grey: Parts 1 & 3
Well, that doesn’t look good. 🎵 Intro music 🎵 Hello, Lucy Liu. I am in North Carolina. It is the start of what is going to be five long weeks of business travel and business meetings. I’m trying to get better at business meetings. Also, while I’m here, I…
We Are All Related
Hey, Vsauce, Michael here, and you guys are my family. Scientifically speaking, geneticists tell us that every single person on earth is, at the least, 50th cousins with everybody else on earth. It kind of has to be that way. Think of it like this—you ha…