When Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller “Jaws” hit the big screen, he changed the views on sharks as we know it. The movie warped the minds of many people and created a dangerous reputation for sharks. Nearly 40 years later, the fascination for sharks has steadily increased.
Although sharks have a deadly reputation, there are still people fighting to protect the beloved creatures. Several other documentaries, movies and television shows were created to educate others on sharks and quell public fear of sharks.
Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, created in 1987, helps raise awareness about sharks. Shark Week is a week-long series that includes several documentaries, movies and television series about sharks. Shark Week is partly responsible for adding truth to the millions of shark myths.
Syfy has even jumped on the shark bandwagon with its made-for-TV movie “Sharknado.” “Sharknado” is a thriller about a hurricane that floods the city of Los Angeles with shark-infested water. It is highly unlikely that a hurricane would flood Los Angeles with man-eating sharks, so it is a little less fearful than Jaws. With the massive success that “Sharknado” garnered, “Sharknado 2” is scheduled to begin shooting next year.
Megalodon is another shark that emerged from the increasing fascination with sharks. Megalodon, meaning “big tooth” in Greek, is a pre-historic shark dating back to 28 to 1.5 million years ago. The shark is rumored to have reached between 46 and 59 feet long and a weight between 53 and 114 tons. Due to lack of complete fossils, it is difficult to determine an actual true size of the Megalodon shark.
Meglodon has made a great villain for many films. “Shark Attack 3” and “Megalodon” are the two most popular films featuring the pre-historic shark. “MegaShark vs. Giant Octopus” is another film featuring the Megaldon battling another pre- historic being.
Although it is easy to portray the shark as a monstrous killing machine, its roles in movies aided in the decrease in the lives of many sharks, especially the Great White. Sharks are hunted, killed and sold by many fishermen across the world. In China and other countries, a shark’s fin is considered a delicacy and served in many restaurants.
In the U.S., shark finning has been made illegal under the Shark Finning Prohibition Act. However, people still continue to trade shark fins across international waters. In 2011, President Obama signed the Shark Conservation Act to disband any form of shark finning and trading.
In case you suffer from an extreme case of selchophobia (fear of sharks), here are a few fun facts to help ease your mind.
Sharks hate the taste of human meat. Sharks will often times sample their prey before they actually begin feeding. Shark attacks normally occur in shallow, calm waters. Pigs kill more people a year than sharks do. Bull sharks are considered to be the most threatening to humans because they prefer to live in shallow areas of the water. However, if you are not traveling to a tropical region, the bull shark is the least of your worries. So in the end, fear should not drive this fascination with sharks. They have their place in this world, only recently that place seems to be on our televisions.
