More than
450 species of
sharks exist, but
at least 26 of them
are endangered and
at least 48 are
vulnerable.PERSONALITY
POWER
Hiking in the Bahamas through a steamy
mangrove forest—a group of shrubs or
trees that grow in coastal waters—Skerry
arrived at a wild nursery for lemon shark pups.
The photographer, who was standing in a foot of
water, put on his snorkel gear and scrambled onto
his stomach to snap pics of the fish.
Peering into the water, Skerry watched as three
shark pups swam into view. They were wary of him, but
eventually one swished closer to investigate. Only after
the first shark got comfortable did the other two
approach. “Certain sharks display more confidence, and
they’re quicker to explore new things in their environment,”
Skerry says. Some sharks are also super social, while others within
the same species prefer their me time.
Each personality type has benefits. For instance, social lemon sharks
might do better when food is plentiful because they’ll share the grub
with each other. But when food is scarce, lemon sharks that like to be
alone might thrive, since they don’t divide their meals. That means
different sharks within the same species thrive in different situations.
SUPERSIZE SHARK
Humans might have a hard time determining a shark’s temperament
at first. As Skerry knows, these animals will often surprise you!
Once, Skerry was diving with a group in the Atlantic Ocean when he
caught sight of a 14-foot-long tiger shark with ginormous jaws. The
hugeness of the creature made Skerry nervous—plus he knew that
this species tends to be very aggressive. “Next to her, you realize how
small and vulnerable you are,” he says.
But the shark gracefully glided over and paused by each of the divers
as if to greet them. Then she turned toward Skerry and allowed him to
touch her. It turned out that the others had already met the friendly ani-
mal and given her a name: Emma.
The tiger shark visited the dive site almost every day during Skerry’s stay.
“Once I got over my initial reaction, I realized that Emma was just a gentle
giant,” he says. So basically, you can’t judge a shark by its jaws.
Skerry still sees Emma when he visits the area, and he’ll continue to
“meet” new sharks during his underwater photo shoots. The photographer
hopes that by showing the different personalities of sharks, people won’t
see them as a bunch of dangerous animals. Instead, they’ll see them as
individuals that deserve our care and protection.
Even if they do have a lot of teeth!
LEMON SHARK
PUPS SWIM
THROUGH A
MANGROVE
FOREST.A TIGER SHARK OFF THE
BAHAMA ISLANDS GLIDES
OVER A CORAL REEF.22 AUGUST 2017