INFORMATION REPORT
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Title: Air Jaws
Aggressive and vicious are two words to describe the magnificent sharks of South Africa. These incredible great whites have the amazing ability to breach two metres into the air. This is the only place where these sharks breach. Being the world’s most dangerous shark, this shark has more speed and agility than any other.
The waters around Seal Island in False bay, Cape town is a home to many of these Great White sharks, as well as being the home to 60,000 cape fur seals and African penguins. The Air Jaws tend to patrol the island from around 400 yards out in the ‘Ring of Death,’ it’s preferable hunting place.
The great whites diet consists mainly of Cape fur seals but may occasionally go to a dead whale or water birds as a food source. The sharks can eat up to 35-45 pounds of whale flesh in one bite. When the water begins to warm the great whites undergo diet changes.
Over a dozen attacks take place every day. The sharks can travel up to 20 miles per hour while approaching their prey. If a shark misses a seal a long chase is often ahead, the sharks may even flip head over tail while trying to catch it’s prey. These sharks are able to adapt to the seals speed and agility. The sharks restless hunting begins at dawn. They have many different attack styles including shallow/parallel attacks, mid attacks and vertical attacks (coming from the deep at full speed.) Competition excites the predators and so the bigger the shark the bigger it’s priority at meal time. These sharks live by the rules of ‘shoot first, ask questions later,’ they attack with aggression and are also scavengers. In murky water sharks can sometimes almost camouflage but the clearer the water the deeper the shark will go to catch it’s prey.
As the sharks spend almost all of their time at the ring of death the seals are in great danger when passing through, whether they are leaving or returning to the island. Before venturing off seals sometimes meet at the bottom near the edge of the ring of death also known as ‘the launching pad’ to swim or play in groups of 8-12. The seals often leave the island in large groups but return in much smaller ones. The seals take one last breath before diving to the bottom of the ring of death to get to the island to provide the best safety. The seals that have passed through the ring of death before have a better chance of surviving. If they need to the seals may use close by objects such as boats for protection.
These sharks have adapted well to the waters around Seal Island and are continuing to do so. While scientists are busy trying to figure out what it is about the waters that causes the magnificent creatures to breach above the surface.
By Katia B
