http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_Just_Want_to_Have_Fun
Apparently sharks like to have fun too. Just watch this Spinner shark having fun in this video!!:
You are probably wondering like I did the first time I saw this video, why would a shark spin like this?
Is it just having fun, being a shark or is there some reason which shark experts who have watched these sharks for long periods of time, come up with for this behavior of these sharks?
The answer is: "While feeding, the spinner shark uses a leaping and spinning technique to catch fish as they break the surface of the water while passing through a school of swarm fish."
source:http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-spinner-shark.htm Scientifically this behavior has been described as follows:
"It has an unusual method of feeding, swimming rapidly through schools, spinning along the axis of its body. The shark snaps in all directions at the quickly scattering fish, followed by leaping out of the water. This feeding behavior has also been reported for the blacktip shark (C. limbatus), although to a lesser degree. During feeding and scavenging events, spinner sharks sometimes form aggregations. These sharks have been also reported to scavenge discarded fish from fishing vessels."
(source:http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/spinnershark/spinnershark.html )
The spinner shark is not aggressive when it comes to human contact and will not attack unless provoked.
This species of shark has a scientific name of , "Carcharhinus brevipinna, and is found in subtropical waters between 40°N and 40°S near continental and insular shelves. The genus name Carcharhinus is derived from the Greek "karcharos" = sharpen and "rhinos" = nose.
Spinner sharks inhabit waters between 0-100 m. It is a highly migratory species in the Gulf of Mexico, where it moves closer inshore in spring and summer
months to reproduce and feed." sources :http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=492 and
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/spinnershark/spinnershark.html
"Due to the fact that this shark is frequently captured in the commercial and recreational fisheries, it is highly vulnerable to fishing pressure. In addition, the spinner shark utilizes inshore waters as nursery areas making it also susceptible to habitat alteration from development of shoreline areas."
"The spinner shark species is currently listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as "Near Threatened" throughout its range and "Vulnerable" in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The IUCN is a global union of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species." (source:http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/spinnershark/spinnershark.html )
It certainly would be a shame if this amazing shark was fished into extinction! Here is a photo of a spinner shark caught during one of its amazing spins:
Source of image:http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/files/2009/08/spinner.jpg
I hope you now find this shark as interesting as I do! This shark certainly deserves the right to live in the oceans, so please do not engage in overfishing if you chose to fish out there in our World's waterways and oceans.
