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Example research essay topic: The Secret Life Of Great White Sharks - 1,095 words

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... whale blubber (Long). The likelihood of an attack increases significantly when the water surface is calm, especially in the evening and early morning when the sharks move closer to the shore in search of food (MacGregor 47). Sharks prefer cloudy water and areas near harbors, docks, jetties, and bays (Long). The probability of drowning to that of being attacked by a shark is 1, 000 per every one-shark attack in the United States (Bowman 76). Back then, it was generally accepted that great whites were anthropophagous (they ate people) by choice.

Now we know that almost every attack on a human is an accident: The shark mistakes the human for its normal prey (Gorman 21). The great white is the second largest shark. It is believed to be territorial, returning to the same location every year. The size of its territory depends on available food and the number of other sharks present to help eat it. They frequently live near seal colonies, often in groups designated by size and sex (MacGregor 49).

The great white is found in temperate waters throughout the worlds oceans. The area that extends from Bodega Bay down to the south end of Monterey Bay and out to the Farallon Islands, known as the red triangle, is well known for its abundance of great whites (Long). They can be found in waters as shallow as three feet deep, and as deep as 1280 meters (All About Sharks). A primary attack strategy of the great white is to capture and bite their prey, release it wounded but alive, and then remain near by until the prey is tranquil, indicating death or sever injury. The great white would then be afforded an easy meal. Attack strategies consist of a swift, surprise attack from below, inflicting a large, potentially fatal bite on the preys side because attacks to the head are rare.

The pinniped often dies from massive trauma or blood loss, but the bites may be superficial on the body, allowing the seal to escape and survive the attack with their scars as witness. Great whites like to attack from a deep 45 to 90 degree angle below the prey. An attack from below is harder to spot and elude. The greater the angle and the further below the shark is from the seal means the seal is going to have a tough time seeing the shark (Long). Make sure he knows youve seen him, says Rodney Fox, a victim of an attack.

Great whites are ambushers, and once one knows he cant surprise you, he's probably not going to expend a lot of energy to get you. Move slowly to other divers or the boat (Gorman 12). Hunting occurs around the clock. Great whites are clearly relentless, and preliminary data suggests they may also be crafty (Martin 60). Far from being the mindless killing machines of Jaws fame, great whites observe social customs and rituals and appear to be particular about what they eat (Martin 57). Sharks rarely ever eat humans are solitary animals.

They either travel alone or in groups of two (All About Sharks). Great white sharks are ovoviviparous, which means that they hold eggs inside of their bodies until the young are ready to hatch. The babies, or pups, are born alive, fully formed and ready to hunt for food. White shark pups may be five feet long at birth and have a full set of teeth (White Sharks). The female may only reproduce twice in her whole life. Media sensationalism and widespread ignorance has given the great white shark a bad rap.

Although the species is responsible for an average of two to three non-fatal attacks on swimmers, surfers, and divers each year, its role as a menace is exaggerated. More people are killed in the United States each year by dogs then have by great whites in the last 100 years. Scientific study shows the population of great white sharks is low, with perhaps fewer than 100 adult animals in California's waters (Long). What could kill an animal with no natural predators? The answer is simple, fishing lines.

A fisherman had set out a longline to catch snapper, and a female [great white] got caught in it. She got hooked, and it trying to get away, she wrapped herself up in the rope. When it came taut, she couldnt move. She drowned.

Like many sharks, she had to keep moving to flush oxygen-rich water over her gills, explains John Kissing, chief scientist (Gorman 14). Great whites are important, though not common, predators in the marine ecosystems of the California coast. In 1992, great whites were placed on the protected species list and are legally protected from unlawful killing or exploitation (Long). Nowadays more people are coming to respect and appreciate sharks for what they are: beautiful, graceful, efficient, and, most of all, integral members of the food chain.

The change is due to television and the abundance of films documenting not only the glories of sharks but also the dangers to them from longline's, nets, and the practice of finding- slicing the fins off sharks to sell in Asian markets, then tossing the living animals overboard to die. Gradually governments and individuals are learning that while a dead shark may bring ten or twenty or even fifty dollars to a single fisherman, a live shark can be worth thousands of dollars more in tourist revenue to a community. Great white sharks have survived, virtually unchanged, for millions of years. They are as highly evolved, as perfectly in tune with their environment as any living thing on this planet. For them to be driven to extinction by man, a relative newcomer, would be more than an ecological tragedy; it would be a moral travesty (Gorman 29). Works Cited All About Sharks. 5 Feb 2001. < web >>.

Bowman, S. C. Shark Attacks. Readers Digest July. 1995: 74 - 8. Gorman, Jessica.

Inside the Great White. National Geographic Apr. 2000: 2 - 29. Klimley, A. P, Anderson, S. D, Henderson, R. P, and P.

Pyle. Great White Sharks: the biology of Carcharodon cercarias. New York: American Publishing Inc. , 1996. Long, Douglas. The White Shark. 5 Feb 2001 <
web >>. MacGregor, Elise.

Beyond Jaws. Windsurfing Magazine. Sept/Oct. 1993: 45 - 9. Martin, Glen.

Great White Sharks. Discover. June. 1999: 54 - 61. Sanders, Zack.

A Great White Shark. Newsweek. Oct. 1996: 30 - 36. White Sharks. 20 Feb 2001. <
web >>.


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Research essay sample on The Secret Life Of Great White Sharks

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