For a tiger shark photograph large enough to use for a widescreen wallpaper, click here.
There are 450 known species of sharks in the world and about 40 of them frequent the waters around Hawaii from the smallest pygmy sharks (Squaliolus laticaudus) that average about eight inches in length to the gargantuan whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) that can grow to more than fifty feet long. The most common sharks which are seen near the shore are sandbar sharks, reef whitetip sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks and somewhat less often, particularly in the summer months, tiger sharks. Tiger sharks freqently feed near the mouths of rivers, particularly after heavy rains, and are known to trail fishing boats as tiger sharks have the most varied diet of all the shark species; tiger sharks eat fish, lobsters, birds, turtles, dead animals, garbage and other sharks. Tiger sharks and galapagos sharks are considered the most agressive sharks in Hawaiian waters. For more information about the dangers of sharks and shark safety, see the link beneath the photographs below or click here. Sharks can hear and smell their prey over two miles away and have excellent eyes which are beneficial when the water is clear. Sharks have receptors in their snouts that are called ampullae of Lorenzini which can detect the tiny electrical fields emitted by all living organisms. This sensory advantage allows sharks to feed at dawn, dusk and during the night without actually seeing their prey. These sensory receptors help account for the fact that so many shark attacks occur at those times of day.
To see a video (Courtesy National Geographic) of a spiny dogfish shark attacking a giant pacific octopus, click here.
To view a video (Courtesy the Discovery Channel) of Great White Sharks attacking seals in what is called the "ring of death" around Seal Island off the coast of South Africa, click here.
• Over 100 photographs of several different species of sharks can be found below as well as some wallpaper-sized sharks photos and widescreen wallpaper shark photographs. Hawaii is a natural habitat for a multitude of sharks particulalarly in the Leeward Islands of Hawaii which are also known as the Northeastern Islands of Hawaii which comprise the largest marine wildlife reserve on planet earth: Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument formerly called the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.
• Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus or isurus glaucus) Illustration above by Richard Ellis in his The Book of Sharks and the following nine paragraphs are excerpted from The Book of Sharks
"The mako is the quintessential shark. It is probably the most graceful of all sharks, the most beautifully proportioned, the fastest, the most strikingly colored, the most spectacular game fish, and one of the meanest-looking animals on earth.
"Like other mackerel sharks, the great white and the porbeagle, the mako has a homocercal (equal-lobed) tail, and a horizontally flattened keel at the tail's base. They all are gracefully streamlined, with a conical snout, dark eyes, small second dorsal fins, and the aforementioned tail shape. The dark eyes give them a look of intense intelligence that they may not possess, as well as the bold look of another group of superbly designed predators, the falcons.
"The keels of the mackerel sharks are fascinating and mysterious structures. They show a compression in the dorso-ventral plane of the entire base of the tail, also called the caudal peduncle. It is assumed that this modification is related to speed and power in swimming, since it significantly adds to the musculature of the tail structure, the shark's means of propulsion. Among the sharks, the mackerels show the most pronounced keels, but other species, not normally associated with fast movement, also have this modification. The whale sharks and the basking sharks, two plankton feeders that are characterized by slow and ponderous movements, have keels on their tail structure, and the tiger sharks, not known for speed, also show this characteristic. Many of the scombroid fishes (tuna, mackerel), and the billfishes (marlin, sailfish), have one or more small keels, but the broadbill swordfish is the only teleost that shows a development that is in any way similar to that of the mackerel sharks. In my paintings of the mako (see shark paintings at the top and the bottom of this webpage) I have tried to show this unique structure by "twisting" the shark, rather than painting it in profile.
"Another characteristic that separates the isurids from all other elasmobranchs is their ability to conserve body heat and maintain a body temperature that is considerably higher than the ambient water. It has long been known that certain scombroid fishes, especially tuna, have this ability, but in 1968 two Woods Hole biologists, Carey and Teal, were the first to mention this phenomenon in sharks. Only makos and porbeagles were tested, but white sharks, the third member of the family, were examined, and showed the same structural modifications, so it is safe to assume that they share this ability. According to Carey and Teal, heat is conserved by a "set of countercurrent heat exchangers located in the circulation between the gills and the tissues. The heat exchangers form a thermal barrier which permits the flow of blood but blocks the flow of heat." The authors conclude that there is a threefold increase in the muscle power for every ten degrees Centigrade rise in body temperature. A mako that can jump fifteen to twenty feet in the air requires a starting velocity of 22 miles per hour.
"The reproduction and parturition of the mako and the porbeagle are thought to be similar. A pregnant mako has been examined, and it was found to contain ten embryos, five male and five female, ranging in size from 25 inches to 27.5 inches. It can be assumed that these embryos were close to term, since there have been free-swimming makos caught that were 31.5 inches long. According to Bigelow and Schroeder, porbeagles are ovoviviparous (eggs hatch in the female, and are not otherwise attached), and they are nourished in utero by "swallowing unfertilized eggs which lie close to it in the uterus, the result being that the stomach becomes enormously swollen by the masses of yolk so swallowed, forming a so-called 'yolk stomach.' " We can suppose that the same applies to makos.
"Almost all sharks are dark above and lighter below, but few show the dramatic contrast between the rich ultramarine dorsal surface and snowy underbelly of the mako, often separated by a band of silver. A profile portrait of the mako shows this shark to best advantage, emphasizing the conical snout which is so uniquely pointed. This characteristic has resulted in one of its vernacular names, sharpnose mackerel shark. Other common names include blue pointer, mackerel shark, and bonito shark. Makos have particularly long teeth, which are not serrated like those of their infamous cousin, the great white shark, nor are they cusped like those of their relative, the porbeagle. The teeth of a big mako are huge, resembling curved knives set into the jaw. They are also flattened on the forward surface, which increases this knifelike impression. Smaller specimens have more rounded teeth, so it takes a big mako to display the full and frightening implications of these teeth. Ernest Hemingway had obviously seen big makos, and he describes one in The Old Man and the Sea.
"The teeth of most sharks are laid back when not in use, and the opening of the mouth brings them into an upright position. This occurs to a limited extent with the mako, but its lower teeth are always erect and serve to give this shark, in life as well as in death, a snaggletoothed and fearful visage. It is the stuff of which nightmares are made. For the big game fisherman, mako fishing is the stuff of which dreams are made. Capable of spectacular gymnastics and at the same time one of the few fish whose actions can be decidedly aggressive, the mako brings an added dimension to game fishing. It is difficult at best to judge heights from the water, but there seems to be a general consensus that a fighting mako can jump at least twenty feet out of the water. Makos charge boats, sometimes jump right into them, and generally provide a level of excitement beyond that of the ordinary game fish experience. In mako fishing, you might lose not only your fish, you might lose your rod or even your arm. It is perhaps the only type of big game fishing where there is a real element of personal danger.
"Makos are worldwide in distribution, favoring tropical and temperate waters. They do not school, and they are never seen in very large numbers. Like the porbeagle, the mako tends to inhabit deeper waters than the great white.
"One final note about the mako's swimming style, by comparison to blue sharks:
Blue sharks are slim, sinuous swimmers, turning and twisting by using their long, curved pectoral fins. By contrast, the mako is a stiff-bodied swimmer, propelling itself through the water with short strokes of its thick, powerful tail. When seeing a mako in its own element, one has the overall impression of blue muscular efficiency."
~ Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks.
Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)
The mako, like the great white shark is a pelagic, or open ocean, shark. It's dark blue on the back and white on the underside of its body. These deep water sharks grow to 8 feet, rarely reaching a length of 12.5 feet. Its average size is 6-8 feet. The mako is highly specialized for continuous swimming, and is considered one of the fastest sharks in the water. It can achieve speeds of more than 22 mph. It has long, knifelike teeth and feeds mainly on mackerel, squid and a variety of fishes including the fast-moving tunas, swordfishes and other sharks. Marine mammals do not appear to be an important food for mako sharks.
The mako shark is found around the world in warm and temperate seas, in the Pacific from Oregon to Chile, and juvenile makos are common in southern California during the summer months. Some scientists believe that female mako sharks migrate into San Diego's waters to have their pups. From spring to autumn, pups and 1-2 year-old sharks can be found off San Diego, several miles out at sea.
Makos are prized gamefish. Once landed, makos present a danger to anglers because of their size, powerful jaws, and large teeth. The mako is generally not a threat to divers and swimmers since it lives in the open ocean where people seldom venture.
The mako is also called bonito, mackerel shark, spriglio, paloma, or shortfin mako.
~ San Diego Museum of Natural History
Click Above to Enlarge Pic to wallpaper size
Click for Widescreen Wallpaper
Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias)
When people think of sharks, the image of the great white is what often comes to mind. However, great whites are not very common in the waters off San Diego, northern Baja California and the Hawaiian Islands.
Impressive by any standard, the great white shark is the world's largest predatory fish. It ranges worldwide in temperate and subtropical seas, but is considered uncommon. They grow to an average size of 15 feet; the largest recorded specimen was 21 feet.
While the movies may have given us the impression that great whites hunt humans, their diet really consists of seals, sea lions, dolphins, and fishes including other sharks. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, and probably cases of mistaken identity -- a human floating on a surfboard looks surprisingly like a sea lion or seal from below.
The great white shark is also called the white pointer and white death.
~ San Diego Museum of Natural History
The photograph above is large enough to use as widescreen wallpaper
*Attaching a Bridle and Hitching a Ride on a Great White Shark
The Above Photo is Widescreen Wallpaper Size
The above picture is big enough to use for widescreen wallpaper
The photo above is big enough to use as widescreen wallpaper
The above picture is large enough to use as widescreen wallpaper
To see a video (Courtesy National Geographic) of a spiny dogfish shark attacking a giant pacific octopus, click here.
To view a video (Courtesy the Discovery Channel) of Great White Sharks attacking seals in what is called the "ring of death" around Seal Island off the coast of South Africa, click here.
Marine life is abundant and sharks are plentiful in the waters surrounding the Leeward Islands of Hawaii, also referred to as the Northwestern Islands of Hawaii -- the largest nature preserve on the planet. The Leeward Islands page features maps and photos of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as well as providing general information. The islands include, Kure Atoll, Midway Atoll, Maro Reef, Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, Gardner Pinnacles, French Frigate Shoals, Necker Island and Nihoa Island as well as individual smaller islands in reef systems. To visit the Northwestern Islands of Hawaii virtually, click here to go to the Leeward Islands Page. The Leeward Hawaiian Islands comprise the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument formerly called the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, the largest marine nature preserve in the world.
• To see information about all the volcanoes on the Big Island as well as the overall geography of The Big Island of Hawaii click here. To view the Kilauea Volcano Page click here. To go to the Hawaii Geography Page click here. • To see more volcano information on the Big Island of Hawaii Page click here. • To explore almost any science topic that comes to mind, such as fossils, astronomy and volcanology, click here to view the Sciences Page.
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