PHOTO: Viper Dogfish Caught off Coast of Taiwan

Viper Dogfish - Sputnik, Int'l.

First discovered in 1986 and not revealed to the public until 1990, the Viper Dogfish (or Trigonognathus kabeyai) is a rare, deep-sea shark rarely seen by Man.  Not much is known about the species, but it reportedly poses little threat to humans despite its fearsome appearance, as crustaceans and bony fishes comprise its diet.

Earth Touch News revealed the find on January 13^th, 2018, and the report was picked-up by Sputnik International.  Specimen have been acquired off the coasts of Japan and Hawaii, as well.

© The Weirding, 2018

Gigantic Supershark Ate a Great White Whole

This is why I don't swim in the ocean: Scientists theorize that a nearly 10'-long Great White shark which was tagged years ago may have been eaten whole by another shark suffering from Gigantism. Literally, a Jaws in the ocean!

According to researchers, the shark appeared to have swum to extreme depths for a time before its body temperature became consistent with that of being inside another creature's belly. Keep in mind that the shark "victim" here was a very large shark herself, meaning whatever ate her has to well exceed 10' in length - in fact, it has to have a stomach large enough to accommodate a 10' shark!

The scariest part? The creature later swam to the ocean's surface. So... have fun, surfers!

Here is an article on the issue, along with a brief video.

© The Weirding, 2014

Great White Leaps Aboard

Six marine scientists were researching four great white sharks in Mossel Bay, South Africa known for leaping out of the water when they attack seals. As one of the men chummed the water with sardines, one of the sharks broke the surface and became airborne, landing in the back of the boat atop the the bait and fuel containers.

The scientists attempted to wrestle the half-ton great white back into the water, but it proved too much for them to handle. As it thrashed about, it cut fuel lines and the men had to radio for help. They tied a rope around the shark's tail and poured water over its gills to keep it alive as their boat was towed back to shore.

There, a crane lifted the shark back into the water, but it couldn't find its way out of the harbor and beached itself about an hour after it was released. The scientists then tied its tail and dorsal fins and towed it out to sea, where it was released.

No one was harmed by the flying great white shark.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Sharks Spotted on Queensland Main Street

Two eyewitnesses say they spotted bull sharks swimming down the flooded streets of Goodna, a small town in the Queensland area in Australia. The Queensland area was inundated by floods, with water reaching as high as 25' in some places. Authorities say the witnesses are reliable and note that bull sharks are known to swim up the nearby Bremer and Brisbane Rivers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

8' Bull Shark Caught in Potomac

Willy Dean set out nets in the Potomac River to catch cow-nosed rays but caught an 8' bull shark, instead!  Dean was fishing for a marine biologist, yet neither expected the catch.  Experts note that, while unusual, sharks are known to swim up rivers hundreds of miles, in some cases. 

This is not even the first time sharks have been caught in the Potomac!

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Massachusetts Pranksters Hoax Great White

There have been several reports of sharks off the Massachusetts coast this summer, including one incident in which a shark made its way into Chatham's harbor. In some cases, entire beaches have been closed even though there have been no attacks as of yet.

However, police say this week's sighting off Somerset, in Fox Hill Cove, which lit-up the 911 operators' boards was actually a prank. Someone cut a fin out of Styrofoam, then wrapped it in Duct tape, and weighted it down. Police do not know who was responsible for the hoax, but say it could have caused real problems, had a real emergency occurred while experts were dealing with this prank.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Sharks Found in Tennessee River

Two sharks, measuring approximately 14" and weighing two lbs., were found dead in the Tennessee River within a short time of one another.  The first was brought from the river, already dead, by a dog; the second was found washed-up on the bank several miles away.  Both sharks were found by visitors to popular destination points along the river in Decatur County, TN.

While the species of the sharks is unknown, Keith Byrd of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, who is looking into the matter, says he hesitates to call them "baby" sharks.  How the sharks got into the Tennessee River will likely never be known, but it is strongly suspected they were bought as bait in Florida or Mississippi and dumped in the river, perhaps as a joke.  It is also possible they were someone's pets until they outgrew their aquarium home.  However, Byrd says it is possible the sharks made it up the river either from the Gulf of Mexico or the Mississippi River.

Saltwater specimens have been found in freshwater Tennessee rivers before.  A Florida manatee was discovered in the Wolf River Conservancy in Memphis, and blue crab and needlefish have been found in the Tennessee River in the past.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Australian Newspaper Dumbfounded by Landshark

Some time after midnight, a visitor to the neighboring McDonald's noticed a shark on the front step of a Western Australian newspaper's offices. When police arrived, they threw some water on it and said it "kicked around a bit." They borrowed a bucket and some water from the fast-food eatery and released the poor guy back into the ocean.

The Port Jackson shark is common to Australia and grows up to 5' ¹/₂" in length. It is harmless but for two poisonous dorsal fins. The one in question was only about 2' long.

The newspaper said it had no idea who would have left the shark, nor why. Police said whomever left it would be charged with animal cruelty, if they are caught.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Man Fights Shark to Save Dog

A Florida man leapt into the ocean to fight a 5' shark which attacked his little dog, Jake over the weekend.

Everyday, he and Jake take a swim in the ocean. On this day, the owner said the shark just appeared out of nowhere and had 14-lb. Jake in its mouth - pretty much the entire dog! The man doubled-up his fists, leapt into the water, and pounded the shark on the back until it let go of the dog. The two swam back to shore.

Jake is expected to make a full recovery.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

One of My Favorites

These "reports" are amongst my favorite:

It seems a near-70 year-old man died after being attacked by what was likely a great white shark off the California coast in what those damned hippies cannot stop referring to as a "rare" attack.

Statistically-speaking, there have only been 11 fatal shark attacks in the area since they started being recorded in the 1950s... but who knows how many others prior?

My favorite analogy whenever such a tragedy occurs is when they tell people "your chances of getting struck by lightning are infinitely great than being attacked by a

1. Don't swim in the ocean and shark-infested waters
2. Don't go outside in a lightning storm.

This is the kind of no-nonsense wisdom what makes me an expert in the field.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Michigan Teen Finds Megalodon Tooth in St. Clair River

Megalodon

16-year old David Wentz was snorkeling in Michigan's St. Clair River last August when he spied an unusual rock on the bed.

While he wasn't sure what he had discovered, thanks to the Discovery Channel, his father was: It was a fossilized shark tooth! Researchers say the tooth is most likely that of a Carcharodon megalodon, a species now extinct for some 2 million years. 

Most likely, the tooth was brought in and dropped by human settlers, as the shark was obviously not indigenous to the region. However, there have been reports of sightings in freshwaters. In fact, there was a series of freshwater shark attacks in the early 20^th-Century that, while believed to be related (at least two sharks somehow made their way into a river from the sea), prove that sharks can survive in freshwater for some time. The Carcharodon megalodon was most likely a saltwater-based species, but whether or not it could survive (and thus may have hunted) in freshwater is unknown.

But, as researchers are quick to point-out, there are no sharks with 3" teeth in the St. Clair River today... hopefully.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

"Expert" Advice

According to news reports, a surfer was followed and then attacked by a great white shark. This is not news; in fact, I have personally seen video footage (which should be available on the web) of two - yes, two - great white sharks working in tandem to try and bring down a surfer!

Now, experts will tell you that great whites are lone hunters. That you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than attacked by a great white. And, as they mentioned in this incident, that the shark "mistakenly" attacked the surfer because it thought he was "some kind of seal."

The Weirding's official reply to all of those is: bullshit, bullshit, and total bullshit.

You have a very great chance of getting attacked by a great white shark - if you are in the ocean. In fact, you have a slim chance of getting attacked by a shark if you swim in a river close to the ocean (check it out!). Your chances of getting attacked by a great white while swimming in the ocean are infinitely - mathematically incomputable - greater than being struck by lightning; your chances of being attacked by a shark in freshwater or on land are probably about the same as being struck by lightning. Yeah, I said it.

Sharks do not think people in the water are anything other than food. Sharks circle sinking ships - why do you think they do that? How many seals do you know that are made of wood and metal and carry a bunch of other seals on their backs? Sharks are known to "bump" lifeboats on a continual basis and reports say that they will follow such a raft for many, many miles. Why would they do that? Do they think a non-moving object, floating on the surface for a long time is a living thing?

Give it a rest, "Experts." Others' right to safety supersedes your rights to being right.

Scientists Confirm Virgin Birth

Researchers confirmed that hammerhead sharks can give virgin births, also known as parthenogenesis.  Though this phenomenon had been seen in bony fish, this is the first confirmed event from a cartilaginous fish.  The tests were carried out on the pup of a captive shark born in captivity in 2001 in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska.

Working with DNA from the offspring of a captive female hammerhead shark, scientists authenticated a complete lack of paternal DNA, meaning the hammerhead shark gave a virgin birth.  Researchers fear this could further harm shark populations, as parthenogenesis results in less diversity amongst the population, which could affect the species' survivability.  The theory is that sharks are resorting to parthenogenesis because they are unable to find suitable sexual partners.

My take on it is that it's very possible the virgin shark birth was simply an anomaly.  After all, if it is possible, then the odds are overwhelming that it has and does happen from time to time.  And, if the process is more common in bony fish, it's not like this would be the Second Coming of the fish world; it would simply be a rare occurrence.  Parthenogenesis is known to occur in lower animals, such as bees and ants.

Sadly, the pup shark was killed by stingrays before zookeepers could remove it from the tank.