#sharkweek2021

It's true that both sharks and Shark Week get a bad rap, but we'll take any excuse to highlight these phenomenal fishes!⁠ 🦈✨⁠ ⁠ This shark's name is as cute as it is! Lollipop catsharks, Cephalurus cephalus, have large heads and gills, which may help them absorb oxygen in low-oxygen environments. This individual was filmed in the Gulf of California at 707 meters (2,320 feet) deep. ⁠In the Gulf of California, these sharks are often found with their cousins, the filetail catshark, Parmaturus xaniurus. The two species may be difficult to tell apart from a distance, when individuals are small, or when P. xaniurus uncharacteristically has its gills expanded in low oxygen environments.⁠

It may be from this ghost shark, also known as a chimera, swimming in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. While related to sharks, these deep sea cartilaginous fish species genetically diverged from their shark relatives nearly 400 million years ago! (Photo: Hariotta Raleighana/NOAA. Image description: Ghost shark with ghastly coloration, and eerie large black eyes.)

(Repost since I needed to redo some things in the piece.)

#Repost from my shark conservation friends at... @hongkongsharkfoundation @download.ins --- SHARKS NEED YOUR HELP IN THE USA 🇺🇸! The good news is that the US Senate have passed 👍 the Shark Fin Sales Elimitation Act and next we move onto a vote 🗳 in the U.S. House of Representatives.  As we look to celebrate "Shark Week" this coming July 11 - 18, we would like to direct your attention to one way you can have a significant impact on the welfare of sharks. For those that live in the 🇺🇸 , we encourage you to submit comments to your Congressional Representative and urge them to support H.R. 2811 - the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2021. This bill would prohibit the possession, offering for sale, selling, or purchasing of any shark fin or product containing any shark fin in the U.S. If you are unaware of who your Representative or Senator is, you can find and contact them here 👉 https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative . As you consider how to contribute to sharks this July, we encourage you to keep this impactful opportunity in mind and watch for our Hong Kong Shark Foundation 香港護鯊會 "Shark Week" activities coming soon July 11 -18, 2021..... #savesharks #sharks #sharkweek2021 #petition #sharkfinsoup #sharkfineliminationact https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7Y86UBRTl/?utm_medium=tumblr

Hope everyone has had a chance to catch some of the amazing Shark Week shows! Eerily and without fail, Shark Week was always when batshit crazy stuff went down during my stint working at the library. It makes no sense, but neither does patrons lighting fires in the bathroom (as they loved to do). Thinking of all my library friends during this time. Hope you are making it through okay! Just keep swimming.

As the name implies, sixgill sharks are distinguished by their six pairs of gills. They share very similar body characteristics to fossils from the Jurassic period millions of years ago! This friend was spotted in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. To learn more about the sharks and rays found in the sanctuary and express some creativity, visit: https://go.usa.gov/x6SbJ (Photo: OET/NOAA. Image description: Bluntnose sixgill shark in deep water.)

We're kicking off shark week with this beautiful white shark! White sharks can be found in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, where they depend on biologically and nutrient rich waters. They play a vital role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Comment your biting shark questions below and we will answer them throughout the week! (Photo: Greg Skomal/MassDMF. Image description: Close up image of a white shark below the surface.)

Learn more about Galapagos sharks for #SharkWeek, visit: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/earthisblue/wk297-galapagos-shark.html. (Photo: NOAA & Richard Pyle-Bishop Museum. Image description: Curious shark approaches divers as they make their way to the surface.)