Shark Fact #15

Almost all sharks like to do their hunting solo, but scalloped hammerhead sharks prefer to travel in schools during their summer migration

Shark Fact #14

Surfers are more likely to die from drowning than from a shark attack, but it is true that great whites can be confused and intrigued by the shape of a surfboard. From beneath the surface, a great white might mistake the board's outline for that of a seal, walrus or sea lion.

Who is Peter Benchley?

Peter Benchley spent his summers on Nantucket Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, and when, he would go sailing or fishing – or even, sometimes, just swimming in the surf- the black dorsal fins of sharks could be seen slicing through the surface of the sea. He had always been fascinated by sharks.

His fascination continued through his years at Phillips Exeter Academy (1957) and Harvard College (’61), and when he became a professional writer in the 1960’s, he took every opportunity to do articles about sharks. In 1964,  there was a newspaper item about a fisherman who caught a 4,550-lb. Great White Shark not far offshore from Montauk, Long Island, and Benchley wondered what would happen if such a huge shark were to appear in a seaside resort community.  At the time did nothing with the idea, but seven years later Benchley began to weave it into the story that would become the novel ”Jaws.”

After graduation from college, Benchley traveled around the world for a year and wrote a book about the trip(“Time And A Ticket”),  he served briefly in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and, at last, got a job and settled down as a reporter for The Washington Post. In 1964, he moved to Newsweek, where he was the Radio & TV editor, and then, in 1967, Benchley was hired as a junior speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson. When President Johnson left office in January of 1969, he began a career as a freelance writer.

Benchley wrote stories for dozens of newspapers and magazines, including National Geographic, The New Yorker, LIFE, and The New York Times. He wrote novels – seven more following “Jaws,” including “The Deep” and “The Girl Of The Sea Of Cortez” – and when, occasionally, the novels were bought by movie companies, Benchley wrote their screenplays.

Always, though, Benchley continued to be interested in sharks and the sea, and his family and he have dived all over the world with wonderful creatures. He has written, narrated and been in dozens of television documentaries about marine life. In 2005 he was a full-time marine conservationist, writing and speaking about the issues facing our oceans and their precious inhabitants … including, of course, sharks.

Benchley died in February 2006 at the age of sixty-five. 

Some sources....

Peter Benchley, author of Jaws and Shark Trouble writes,

"Shark attacks on human beings generate a tremendous amount of media coverage partly because they occur so rarely, but mostly, I think, because people are, and always have been, simultaneously intrigued and terrified by sharks. Sharks come from a wing of the dark castle where our nightmares live- deep water beyond our sight and understanding- and so they simulate our fears and fantasies and imaginations."    

I thought decided that this would be a great starting point for my paper. I am going to compare two of Benchley's works, Jaws, a work of fiction, and Shark Trouble, a book of true stories about sharks and the sea. From here I will analyze the difference between storybook sharks verse the natural being of sharks.    

Shark Fact #13

Headed to shark-filled waters? Pack your boxing gloves. Punching a shark in the nose or poking its eyes can help to fend it off during an attack. Aim for the sensitive eyes or gills — or, if your aim is off, the much bigger target of the snout. Most sharks don't want to work that hard for their food and will swim away

Here is a free class to help prepare you- http:
http://laboxing.com/landings/free_workout/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=boxing%20classes&gclid=CKqgysS7lbQCFcXb4Aod5UYAGA

Shark Fact # 12

A common myth is that sharks don't attack in the middle of the day. And that may be true — but it's likely because most beachgoers get out of the water to rest or eat at lunchtime, so there aren't as many people around to cross paths with sharks. Sharks don't follow the same three meals-a-day eating schedule as humans, they eat when they find food, no matter what time it is.

Shark fact #11

Although it's heavily fictionalized, the filmJaws was based on a real incident in 1916, in which four people were killed by a shark off the New Jersey coastline.

Great White Shark Jumping!--- found by Sarah Yammer

http://www.pawnation.com/2012/11/29/incredible-pictures-of-a-great-white-shark-leaping-mid-air/

Shark Fact #10

 Sharks' livers contain lots of oil. This makes the liver a relatively buoyant organ, which helps sharks keep their balance in the water.

Shark Fact #9

 From 1580 to 2007, there were a reported 64 fatal great white shark attacks. Sharks haven't fared as well: When you count every species, millions of sharks are killed by humans every year.

http://www.mrbigglesworth.org/info/sharks

Shark Fact #8

 Overfishing can have a dangerous effect on sharks. The whale shark, for example, has to live to be 30 years old before it can reproduce, and its life span lasts between 60 and 100 years. As a result, it can't reproduce fast enough to keep up with fishing demand

Whale Sharks 

Shark Fact #7

A few of the known shark species will drown if they stop moving. Great white, mako and salmon sharks don't have the muscles they need to pump water through their mouth and over their gills. As long as they keep swimming, water keeps moving over their gills, keeping them alive.

Shark Fact #6

While many people fear sharks and think of them as one of the world's most aggressive and deadly animals, the chances of dying from a shark attack fall well below the chances of being killed by hornets, wasps, bees or dogs.

Which is most likely to kill you?

Shark Fact #5

As sensational as shark attacks are in newspaper headlines, the reality is that you're more likely to be bitten by another person than a shark.

Interblogging #1!

I just visited Brooke Levine's blog (http://brookelevine57.blogspot.com/) to find out what her paper would be about. Brooke loves cooking so she decided she would center her paper around food in literature. That is such a great idea! She found some great sources, the bible (Ezekiel Bread), Upton Sinclair's, The Jungle, Geoffrey Chaucer's, The Canterbury Tales, John Steinbeck's, Dubious Tale, and Plato's, Symposium. This is just the beginning of her research. Brooke's idea for her final project would be to cook every food she will mention in her paper.

Brooke's idea is such a simple idea and she is creating a project that is so interesting!

Shark Fact #4

Of the average 30 to 50 shark attacks reported each year, only 5 to 10 prove to be fatal. So while being bitten by a shark is rare, dying from a shark bite is even rarer.

Kissing Shark Attack: See video though link-
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/videos/top-10-shark-attack-videos.htm

Show Me You Teeth

Shark Fact #3

Shark teeth are popular and often inexpensive beach souvenirs. Sharks shed their teeth constantly, and once one falls to the ocean floor, it's quickly covered with sand. It soaks up sediments like silica and calcite, which change the tooth's color from white to gray or brown. 

Shark Teeth

Smiling Shark

Shark Fact #2

Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley

One of the Lord Mayors of London was a shark attack victim in 1749. Brook Watson lost his leg in an attack while docked off the coast of Havana, Cuba. 

Shark Fact #1

Fact: Between 30 and 80 percent of a shark's flesh is made of water. A protein network gives the flesh its structure.

Fact: An average adult human body is 50 to 65 percent water. 

Similar to humans a large part of a sharks body is made up of water. 

There are so many interesting facts about sharks!

 I am going to try and post a fact daily about sharks.  

Sharks in Literature

I have been researching some possible sources. First I googled sharks in literature and it came up with three possibilities, which i will look more into. The first is by James Dickey called " The Shark's Parlor." Next I found The Old man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway. The third possible sorce I found was called "The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym," by Edgar A. Poe.

I am going to start reading these sources to see if they will be useful.
In addition I am going to continue looking for more sources.

  

Topic Focus!

I have finalized an idea! My focus is going to be fact verse fiction. The book/movie Jaws has created a  stereotype against Great White Sharks.  Sharks have a fearsome reputation but, rarely do sharks attack humans. I intend to explore different places in literature and movies that deal with sharks. I will be able to compare the facts about sharks with the fiction in these sources. Jaws will be my primary proof text of how the Great White Shark has been forever altered.

http://www.livescience.com/8309-jaws-changed-view-great-white-sharks.html

http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/white_shark/instinct.htm

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/shark-week/videos/the-inspiration-for-jaws.htm

So I have to find a topic…here are some ideas and why each one might work. Or not.

IDEA/INTEREST: SHARKS

relate to literature/primary source-- Jaws By Peter Benchley

compare story truth to happening truth

how literature can create false pretenses (i.e. Great White Sharks)

use documentaries from shark weak

movies (Jaws, Shark Night etc.)

final project: Shark Awareness

More Ideas to come!  

WHAT? I'm supposed to do what, where and why? Are you serious?

This assignment is going to be a lot of work and it is annoying to need to post on a blog!
I think it is very cool that we get to explore a topic of our interest! When the project is finished I think I will be really impressed by my work and I will want to show it off. The effort is a pain!!!