Will my dog be eaten by a shark ?

[Sunspot Baby]

To enter the ocean is to enter the food chain.

George

[Pura Vida]

Tao, I remember seeing a shark while snorkling near Stocking Island. I floated there watching it untill I realized that I had drifted over a shallow coral head. I was bobbing up and down above the sharp coral with the rollers coming in off the ocean.

George,
That's part of the fun isn't it? Sadly down here it is the flesh eating bacteria and beer that kill most people.

[drh1965]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Tao, I remember seeing a shark while snorkling near Stocking Island. I floated there watching it untill I realized that I had drifted over a shallow coral head. I was bobbing up and down above the sharp coral with the rollers coming in off the ocean.

George,
That's part of the fun isn't it? Sadly down here it is the flesh eating bacteria and beer that kill most people.

If you go out to the rigs in the Gulf, if there are spear fishermen there, there are also big open water sharks. My wife was diving and fended off an ~10' Tiger with her video camera (filming). The shark was just curious I guess. The camera found the bottom but was later retrieved. Cool video though!

There are also Oceanic whitetips and many hammerheads out there. Not to mention awesome whale sharks.

Darrell

[Aquah0lic]

OK, well that is all good info, but...

Has anyone ever actually heard of or experienced an attack on a dog? (by anything in the water)

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Aquah0lic

OK, well that is all good info, but...

Has anyone ever actually heard of or experienced an attack on a dog? (by anything in the water)

Yes, dogs have been taken by sharks. Some say the way dogs swim actually attracts sharks. I would say here in Aus, many more dogs are taken by crocodiles though.

[swagman]

Sharks? I once wantched a large Pelican lift a small dog (and its lead) off a beach in Cervantes, WA, and carry it it miles out to drown and eat it.

The lady owner was to say the least, a bit distraught.

So if you were worried before about sharks, suggest you keep your eyes peeled for any large approaching hungry looking Pelicans.

JOHN

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by swagman

Sharks? I once wantched a large Pelican lift a small dog (and its lead) off a beach in Cervantes, WA, and carry it it miles out to drown and eat it.

I call bullsh*t.

[swagman]

No bulldust. Saw it and have spouse plus sons who also witnessed it happening.
JOHN

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by swagman

No bulldust. Saw it and have spouse plus sons who also witnessed it happening.
JOHN

So you were in a boat, saw the bird pick up the dog off the beach with its beak, followed as it flew miles out to sea and then watched as it drowned the dog and ate it?

[drh1965]

For some reason, I keep hearing " African or European swallows" in the back of my mind

[Alan Wheeler]

I have no idea about the Dog and the Pelican, but I have seen Pelicans on TV take some pretty seriouse size fish. So why not a dog if it was small enough??

[Intentional Drifter]

I saw one of our local herons pick up a dinghy (with crew) one time and take it down the beach. Not kidding.



My son was quite mad about it, it was one of his favorite toys and he was playing with it in a tide pool.

Definitely African swallows.

ID

[Steve Kidson]

I remember when doing my Open Water dive course our instructor told us there were some 100 different species of shark. Of those, only about 6 species were known to attack human; unfortunately for us in OZ, most of them are found here .

Having said that, I have never worried too much about going in the water; Another statistic trotted out frequently when the "will I get eaten by a shark" query comes up is "You are more likely to win the big prize in the Lottery than get attacked by a shark"

The last reported shark attack on a dog in Sydney harbour was in the 1930's I believe.

And finally,

• Humans live on land and in our houses; we protect our property when invaded by outsiders.
• Sharks live in the ocean, and presumably will protect their property from outsiders - maybe us or dogs, or whatever they may feel threatened by.

Fair winds

Steve

[Aquah0lic]

Does anyone know how much of the rainbow a shark can see? I know dogs and deer at least have some problems with red and orange. My thoughts are using a doggie harness/pfd that looks like something the shark can't or wouldn't want to eat (if there even is such a thing).

[GordMay]

Sharks have excellent vision. Their eyes are about ten times more sensitive to light* than human eyes. Some experiments show that sharks can see colours.

The shark’s eye is essentially a hollow ball (tho’ laterally compressed), similar to all vertebrates (like ourselves); c/w cornea, iris, lens, and retina.

As noted, sharks' vision is slightly better than human vision, allowing them to see as far as 50-60 Feet (or even 100 Ft) underwater in good conditions.

In addition, sharks have a structure in their eyes called the tapetum lucidum, that increases the sensitivity of the sharks' eyes to light*. Furthermore, certain sharks have evolved a special "nictitating membrane" on the lower lid of the eye that protects the eye from thrashing fish during feeding frenzies.

While their are a number of visual similarities between different kinds of sharks, the size of the eye, focusing ability of the eye, and strength of the eye vary between individual kinds of sharks.

* Sharks have a large proportion of rods (vs cones), which are highly sensitive to changes in light intensity, making sharks sensitive to contrasts of light and shadow.

See also: “Sharks See in Colors!”~ by Stefan Anitei
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sharks-See-in-Colors-51676.shtml

And: “More Than Meets the Eye” ~ by Susan Haynes
Bridge - March 2005 Data Tip