Sunday night I wondered aloud on Twitter: “In 140 or less, why are you (or are you not) fascinated by #sharks? Use the hastags #sharkweek #DSN and I’ll compile a list!” My twitter buddy @jtotheizzoe posted the same on his excellent Tumblr site Its Ok To Be Smart. We both got some great responses at both places! So after the jump below, here is what YOU are thinking! (And follow all of these wonderful ocean lovers on twitter/tumblr!)
Add your own thoughts and HAPPY SHARK WEEK!
FROM TWITTER
@OceanShaman: Swimming in #OCEAN all my life…know they are there…very respectful! Consider them beautiful & critical to #Ecosystem!
@Hectocotyli: The 1945 4-day shark attack terror on the shipwrecked sailors from the USS Indianapolis http://bit.ly/p9N9wX #sharkweek #DSN
@spinydag: All sharks, from great whites to dogfish, just look like they own the place. And act accordingly. #sharkweek #DSN
@WhySharksMatters: #SharkWeek #DSN Even the smallest #sharks I work with, 8 inch sharpnose pups, aren’t afraid to go after bait bigger than them.
@mickeyjs12: #sharkweek #DSN They are beautiful, graceful and keep our oceans the wonderland they are.
@jtotheizzoe: they are blankly simple and ancient while at the same time highly advanced and dangerous – deadly living fossils #dsn #sharkweek
@missmolamola: #sharkweek #DSN I love sharks’ ability to sense bioelectric fields!
@kwing: #DSN #sharkweek they’re ancient, and one of the last things left on earth that puts us lower on the food chain. Gotta respect that.
@vonOberst: They’re not very tasty. #sharkweek #dsn
@kwing: #DSN Also, wobbegongs. Lying in wait on coral reefs, with camouflage mouths! And whale sharks – giant polkadot filter feeders.
@ejwillingham: Bc they can eat ppl, we’ve been investigating them for yrs, still know so little.Can’t resist human-eating mystery #sharkweek #DSN
@daumari: Fascinated by the Helicoprion fossils found in my area and other bizarre ancient sharks. :3 #sharkweek #DSN
@CatfishStory: Sharks are jawsome! #sharkweek
@AlchemyStress: They are the perfect predator, thank god they can’t fly or walk we’d all be screwed #sharkweek #DSN
@sharky04: I’m fascinated by #sharks b/c I think they are beautiful and graceful animals who have been given a horrible image #sharkweek #dsn
@abqdorid: #sharkweek : it’s WAY to sensational. But sharks themselves are fascinating: ancient, cartilaginous, and so darn misunderstood. #DSN
FROM TUMBLR
sixbucks answered: The ampullae of Lorenzini is pretty frickin cool. I wish I had electroreception.
neamy answered: So many teeth … row upon row of terrifying teeth. I’m not sure if that’s a reason to love/not love; probably both though ^^
bestseasonever answered: Sharks are in James Bond and used as an awesome weapon to attempt to kill him. They just show how he is a BAMF. And also sharks go nahhhhhhh!
jmsternberg said: Then I was fascinated with the animal that scared me so much. A couple years later I was in 2nd-3rd grade recording Shark Week on my VHS. I would watch the tapes on repeat so much they broke before the next year’s programs.- jmsternberg answered: When I was a kid (about 7?) I watched Jaws and was so scared I had to call my parents crying to come pick me up.
enhancethetruth answered: I got my left nipple bitten almost completely off by a shark. It’s all deformed now. No joke.
sancosme answered: they haven’t evolved since the time of the dinosaurs, because they are perfect in every way
shotgunsunday answered: The shark = ultimate predator, backed by countless years of evolution & abilities that beat anything that modern technology has yet to offer.
jtperkin answered: As an ichthyophobic scientist, Shark Week leaves me ambivalent. I’m fascinated most by the adaptive variations.
laviesupernova answered: What I love: What awesome predators they are, after over 200+ millions years they still dominate. Not love: How misunderstood they are.
adkip answered: their dorsal fins and hardcore breaching skills
snager answered: I like sharks because they are often unfairly villainized. (you know, besides being the, like, most highly evolved creature on earth.)
huntercolt23 answered: Besides the fact they can smell blood from up a mile away and detect electric magmpnetic pluses in the water? Sile, dentists’ worst nightmare
allisonwilliamsmusic answered: I’m thrilled/horrified by how dead their eyes look. Like they’re robots made from cartilage and sandpaper!
rambolau answered: I love sharks because they’ve been around for 450 million years. It’s also why I’m scared of those BAMFs!
southonfire answered: sharks are adorably scary and cute
atmachine answered: the fact that sharks can be immobilized and killed by simply flipping them onto their backs is disappointing. die cooler, bro.
karatepop said: Also! Sixgills look like Triassic dinos! So. Cool.- karatepop answered: Bluntnose sixgills swim up to shallow water here, despite being deep-sea sharks. Oceanic whitetips have a posse of pilots!
apinchofsnuff answered: Sharks are multi-bladed razors wrapped in sandpaper and capable of moving very fast. I try not to think about them too much.
physicsgirl answered: Pointy noses, forever amusing!
ridethenarwhal answered: I believe our interest in sharks stems from our love for watching hangings under the brittish crown. It’s horrible yet so captivating. :D
thelaughingbear answered: groovy shark tooth necklaces and bacon wrapped shark steaks.
three-zero answered: The Ampullae of Lorenzini -file under awesome.
impossibleeelove answered: awesome: they live in water
siverex answered: i think its awesome!!,because has razor sharp teeth and also very fast eating machine.:)
sharksystematics answered: Epic immune systems.
with-pleasure answered: i love sharks b/c they prevent humans from overpopulating the ocean.
simmerdown said: I think they’re far too misunderstood to not care about them. It breaks my heart when someone says something like “all sharks should just die” and mean it. They’re really magnificent creatures that people need to be educated about.
ukulelesownall answered: there’s a shark that looks exactly like a ray. Stealth power.
discodroid answered: sharks don’t like communists!
pointyteeth answered: Sharks are badass, plain and simple.
