Shark study

6/23/2009 2:31:33 AM

Does this remind you of anything?

A new study says sharks don't attack at random, but stalk specific victims, lurking out of sight. The sharks hang back and observe from a not-too-close, not-too-far base, hunt strategically, and learn from previous attempts, according to a study being published online Monday in the Journal of Zoology.

The sharks had a distinct M.O. They were focused. They stalked from a usual base of operations, 100 yards from their victims. It was close enough to see their prey, but not close enough to be seen and scare off their victims. They attacked when the lights were low. They liked their victims young and alone. They tried to attack when no other sharks were around to compete. They learned from previous kills. And they attacked from below, unseen. Older sharks did better and were more stealthy than younger, smaller sharks, demonstrating that learning was occurring.

19 comments

Latest

casualguy

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15 years ago

Have you also noticed how they also seem to swarm around traveling back and forth along the same path scoping out the area or their next victim? Then if a nice piece of meat is introduced into an area, they may swarm and attack.

shadowcat

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15 years ago

I guess that I make lousy shark bait. I am old and rarely alone.

casualguy

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15 years ago

Shadowcat, I think you have a nurse shark feeding on you already. Pun intended. No offense intended to any dancer who may happen to read this.

shadowcat

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15 years ago

casualguy, it's more of a question of who is feeding on who? I have two special friends on TUSCL. You all know that TUSCL_Brother and I are like real brothers. We share every thing. Family life as well as strip clubbing. My relationship with the nurse shark is the same. I just emailed her and invited her to come and visit me.

shadowcat

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15 years ago

When fishing in shark infested waters, it is comforting to know that the don't all bite. Just a little nibble here and there. LOL...

londonguy

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15 years ago

The phrase 'shark infested waters' always puzzles me, I thought water was a sharks natural habitat?

Dougster

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15 years ago

Who's the hunter, who's the prey?

shadowcat

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15 years ago

C'mon londonguy, Do I have to spell it out. This topic is a simile. Water=strip club. Sharks=strippers. Got it?

londonguy

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15 years ago

I know shadowcat, I forgot to put the :-) on the end.

steve229

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15 years ago

Dougster - that's always the question, isn't it?

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15 years ago

I've actually used the shark analogy in a club before. I was meeting up with a girl and she was running late. I texted her that "the sharks are circling..."

minnow

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15 years ago

As a "minnow", I'm interested in these "studies". I can say that the "lurking" range is less than 100 yards in our environment, but still out of our line of sight. Unlike the "water sharks", the club sharks lure intended prey into very close range before making the kill(ing).

Philip A. Stein

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15 years ago

The story Steve quoted left out the most important part:

Great white sharks hunt just like Hannibal Lecter - By SETH BORENSTEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” Great white sharks have some things in common with human serial killers, a new study says: They don't attack at random, but stalk specific victims, lurking out of sight.

Philip A. Stein

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15 years ago

Now having a stripper stalking me like Hannibal Lecter make me feel as though there is absolutely nothing I can do but give her $20's

casualguy

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15 years ago

I must appear at times to be a piece of bloody meat. Maybe it's the red shirt I sometimes wear that gets to them. Sometimes they even latch their jaws onto me and clamp down tight and start pulling and tugging trying to haul me off to a more private area whether I want to go or not. There they promise to devour me even better.

casualguy

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15 years ago

I'm not sure if real sharks do this too but sometimes the sharks I see sometimes have a more dominant shark in the group. The most dominant shark gets first jabs at the new meat.

Philip A. Stein

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15 years ago

That's the queen bee shark...

steve229

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15 years ago

Did she glow under the black light? The it could be a rare Jaguar Shark.

gridget

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15 years ago

speechless lol...