BY ALLYSON SHAW PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN SKERRYHovering in warm waters off the Bahama Islands, National Geographic
photographer Brian Skerry noticed a dark shadow closing in on him.
Soon the shadow took the form of a torpedo with a fin on top—it was
an oceanic whitetip shark! Skerry’s heart raced. He was alone, and
this shark species has a fierce reputation. The nine-foot-long female
swam closer, gaining speed until ...bonk!The shark gently bumped her
snout against Skerry’s camera.
The shark’s mouth was closed, so Skerry knew she wasn’t trying to
bite him. She merely examined Skerry’s photographic equipment,
then moved in big, lazy circles around him. “She was just exploring,”
Skerry says. “She seemed to have an extremely curious personality.”
Skerry has encountered hundreds of sharks during his career and
found that individual sharks can have very different personalities.
“Certain sharks seem polite—they’re well behaved and make eye
contact,” Skerry says. “Other individuals appear grumpy or sneaky.”
Humans often fear sharks. But Skerry’s experiences have shown
him even individuals belonging to a species that’s thought to be
aggressive can have a major sweet side.You won’t believe these
predator personalities.
20 AUGUST 2017