Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Mobula hypostoma, the Atlantic devil ray Betcha didn’t think we had two similar looking manta-like rays in our waters, did ya? Well, I couldn’t write about last month’s species and not tell ya’ll about this one, could I? Our area is home to some amazing species, and I never knew about this one till I started working out on the local fishing boats. Even I was confused when I first saw it; although it looked like a baby manta ray, there was something about it that looked…... [Read more...]
Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Shark Report: The Manta Ray Manta birostris, the Manta Ray As I was ruminating on sharks of past features and the potentials for future ones, it was suggested by someone that I cover not a shark, but a ray. Although this is a shark journal, rays are in fact related to sharks. Rays are something that many of ya’ll have seen out in our waters, so I figured I’d give you the rundown on the suggestion from our old bro, T.J. It can and will be confused with some of the sharks we see in the... [Read more...]
Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Etmopterus hillianus, the Blackbelly Dogfish This is an article that I really didn’t expect to write. For the last two months I’ve been out in the Gulf of Mexico, doing the offshore work that’s sometimes required for my real job. Make no mistake about it my friends, the oil is out there. I’ve seen it, and it’s not pretty. There is hope though; our trip was a success. The FWC stepped up when others couldn’t. We made things happen, and I’m very proud and lucky... [Read more...]
Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Poroderma pantherinium, the Leopard Catshark I always seem to be rushing to finish up my articles before $2 tacos and $1 drafts at Taco City… This is the fourth in my series of ongoing reports of common sharks we may see in our local aquariums, restaurants, and pet shops. This month’s species is one that caught my eye several years ago at a small aquarium in the northeast. Its amazing coloration was the first thing that caught my eye. My friend Summer had actually suggested this species... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Shark Report: The Puffadder Shyshark Haploblepharis edwardsii In an effort to cover the world’s most interesting sharks for you, it’s inevitable that I sometimes run into a brick wall. I had writers block something fierce this month, so I decided to go see Pakalolo’d Up this past Saturday at the Thirsty Lizard in Satellite Beach instead of writing. (A totally great time, by the way; I urge you to check out both the band and the Lizard.) Sunday arrived, and while nursing a ferocious... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Hemiscyllium ocellatum, the Epaulette Shark By Bloody Bill As I’m finishing up this article before going to work the kitchen for $2 Taco Tuesday at Taco City, I realized these little sharks are more common in our area than I ever could have imagined. This is the second of my ongoing reports of common sharks we may see in our local aquariums, restaurants, and pet shops. This month’s species is one that caught my eye several years ago in a higher-end seafood restaurant in Stuart. My chick... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Photo: Andy Murch / Elasmodiver.com Chiloscyllium plagiosum, the Whitespotted Bamboo Shark Sharks are pretty cool, there’s no doubt about it. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’re pretty much going to be interested in finding out more about them. I’ve written about many of the larger and more common ones you may encounter in our waters and beyond. I’ve written about the ones that scare the crap out of us in the surf, the ones we see during “Shark Week” that can bite your face off,... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Echinorhinus brucus, The Bramble Shark Well, it would seem that there aren’t many sharks that ol’ Bloody Bill hasn’t seen with his own eyes, but trust me, there are so many species out there that it’s nearly impossible to check them all out in a single lifetime. Echinorhinus brucus is another of those just plain weird sharks that still make seasoned scientists like myself shake their heads. Shark evolution is baffling; the best minds in marine science continually wonder how... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
I’ve been told to never get close to the salmon shark, even though I’d also been told that it was unlikely I’d ever see one with my own eyes. But you can’t imagine the horrific feeling I got from my first eventual sight of one — and neither could the governmental agency responsible for me. The salmon shark is a large species, with a maximum reported size of 10 feet, often a bluish gray color above and a lighter shade of white below. Indicative characteristics of the... [Read more...]
By: Bloody Bill
Article Category: Shark Report
Megachasma pelagios, the Megamouth Shark This month will mark the 8-year anniversary of my documentation of a very rare shark off the coast of California. It was only the 15th time it had been documented by scientists. Since my encounter with this species, 27 additional individuals have been reported from around the world. On November 15, 1976, a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii made what may be considered as one of the greatest discoveries in shark science. A shark unlike any previously... [Read more...]
