NARRATOR: The oceans, vast, varied, beautiful,
eternal, invincible, and infinitely bountiful.
Or so we have always believed the oceans to be.
But today, in the shadow of modern technology
and extreme fishing practices,
our perception of the oceans has to evolve.
Ocean life is limited, fragile and endangered.
The consequences of imbalance in the oceans
reach far beyond the shorelines.
They affect all life on our planet,
including our lives.
Yet beneath the waves, the king,
the mightiest of all species, are amongst the most endangered,
the sharks.
Oh, hi. Be with you in a sec.
Just catching a quick snack before we go.
Okay, enough of this. I'll grab a bite along the way.
Speaking of bites, there is something I'd like to show you.
Some people, well, some predators, I'd like you to get to know better.
Not exactly my closest friends,
being as they occasionally dine on my closest friends,
but a dynamic, fascinating and, well, I'd say, misunderstood bunch.
Look at this sand tiger shark.
I know. They are scary looking,
but in fact, they are not dangerous to humans.
Sharks are amongst the ocean's most ancient animals.
They were here 100 million years before the dinosaurs.
And if you do the math,
that means they've been around for about 400 million years,
give or take a millennium.
Sand tiger sharks, like this one, can grow up to 12 feet in length.
Sharks are some of the biggest animals on the reef
and are at the top of the food chain,
exerting a balance and a control over the complex webs of life below them.
Most sharks eat fish and other animals.
Squid, octopus and lobster are very popular.
Surprisingly, sharks don't eat all that much,
and some go for weeks without eating anything.
They are picky eaters and do not eat what does not taste good to them.
People, for example.
Every year, pregnant sand tiger sharks, like the one you see here,
stay around this reef for a full month without eating anything.
Towards the end of the nine-to-twelve-month pregnancy,
they move to a more remote area to give birth.
There, the newborns have a better chance of surviving.
See the moss in her mouth?
It grows there because pregnant females don't use their teeth during this period.
I guess they don't floss, either.
By the way, despite their ugly faces,
these guys have been pretty nice to me so far.
But I'm not pushing it.
It's best to leave before dark when the hunt begins.
Now, the silvertip sharks are especially territorial,
meaning they guard their turf like watchdogs.
That's why Grandfather would always tell me,
"When a silvertip's in sight, pull your head in and hide."
Hello? It's, like, a pretty huge ocean.
You really gonna crowd me like that?
Now, down here, the sharks are the head honchos,
the top of the food chain.
That gives them a big responsibility
for maintaining the balance of life in the oceans.
But mankind has given them a bum rap as "ruthless, vicious killers".
The fact is that while satisfying their appetites,
they are just doing their job.
They are playing a necessary role in nature,
much like the lions do as top of their food chain.
But lions have nicer hair and somehow seem cuddly.
So, they're, like, cool.
Sharks are cool, too, though.
They have a sixth sense, which scientists don't know much about.
They are able to detect tiny electrical impulses in the water.
And since all animals produce some electrical signals,
well, it makes hunting easier.
This silvertip, like other sharks, is the ultimate hunter,
perfectly adapted for seeking out and extracting their prey.
Check out these fish. What's going on here?
They don't appear to be particularly frightened by the silvertip shark.
Strange, though, since they are trevallies, a bite-sized snack for sharks.
Look, they are brave enough to chase him away.
Hmm, maybe the reality of relationships down here is not as simple as you'd think.
Speaking of relationships, l've been thinking.
And, you know, Ireally feel I need more space right now.
Ever heard the saying, "Don't be a fool, stay in school?"
Well, that's how the many fish you are about to meet
avoid winding up on the predator's dinner plate, by sticking together.
You see, when it comes down to it,
we really have only three major concerns around here.
First, where's our next meal coming from?
Second, how can we avoid being someone else's next meal?
And third... Oh, ask your parents.
So each species has its own ingenious technique of self-defence.
These sardines travel in huge schools that confuse their predators.
Down here, you see, we are all part of the food chain.
We eat and we are eaten.
Somehow we are all predators.
Really tasty. lf you can manage to get a mouthful.
Come back here.
The big problem in our food chain, though, is, Icould be next.
What a sight.
No, it's not a bird.
It's not a spaceship.
It's the most elegant and graceful creature of the ocean,
the giant Pacific manta ray.
Rays are closely related to sharks,
with the same rough skin and a skeleton made of lightweight, flexible cartilage.
For feeding, they glide through the water,
filtering plankton with their sponge-like gillrakers.
Weighing as much as 3,000 pounds,
these graceful giants are found in tropical oceans
and can have wingspans of up to 22 feet.
Don't worry, though, they're harmless towards humans.
Check out the tactic of the remora fish.
They hitch a ride by suctioning themselves to the manta's body.
This way they gobble up any leftovers. Clever, huh?
Okay, no snickering now.
This next group is rather shy.
They're a bit self-conscious about their... (STAMMERING) Their saw.
Largetooth sawfish are actually modified rays with a shark-like body.
They can be as long as 23 feet.
Like the other rays, their mouth and gill slits are located underneath their body.
Their flat head and body are characteristics of a fish living at the bottom of the sea
and in shallow waters.
Check out that schnozz. Looks just like a chainsaw.
They use it to kill their prey. (EXCLAIMS) What a way to go.
But they, too, are harmless to humans.
Try to touch it, but be careful. These are really sharp.
(MIMICS CIRCUS ANNOUNCER) And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
before Iintroduce you to the king of the ocean,
let's first meet the court jesters, as well as one of his favourite dishes.
They are swift and slippery. They are playful and acrobatic.
They can pivot, duck and dive. And they are relatively comfortable on land.
So without further ado, bring in the sea lions.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
-And now, what you've all been waiting for. - (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
The most feared creature of the seas,
22-feet long and up to 5,000 pounds of pure power,
the great white shark.
It is the only shark able to lift its fearsome face out of the water
to inspect activities above the surface.
Chilling thought, huh?
Those coal black eyes send shivers through my shell,
but this sea lion doesn't seem too impressed.
He's hanging cool just a few strokes behind the shark,
watching his every move.
Maybe he knows that after a supersized meal,
the great white probably won't eat for another two months.
Talk about feast or famine.
When they do eat, the menu consists of whales,
seals and other marine mammals,
other sharks, fish,
lobsters and
turtles.
Whoa! Let's get out of here.
Do you want to see an impressive procession?
Yes? Then follow me quietly.
Look there in the haze.
(SHUSHING)
They're coming.
Hundreds of scalloped hammerheads.
Wow. What a truly huge formation.
Hey, whoever thought up these names didn't need too much imagination, eh?
But, sure enough, you know a hammerhead when you see one.
These sharks are not small. They are between 6-to-12 feet long.
They sure don't go around unnoticed.
By day they swim together. By night they hunt alone.
Check out this school of hammerheads. Notice anything?
Most of the sharks you see here are pregnant females.
See their big bellies?
Oh!
Here's a buddy of mine.
Hi. What's up?
I love catching up on the latest turtle-talk.
Weather, traffic, who's eating whom. Or...
Wow, where did they come from?
Not the biggest dudes on the block,
these reef sharks have an average length of about 5 feet.
But don't let their size fool you.
They can get nasty just the same.
When they find prey, it's best to keep a safe distance.
Like a herd of animals on the Great Plains,
each year they gather in the strong currents to reproduce.
Sometimes the mating gets so violent that the females die in the process.
lf these guys get too excited while mating,
what happens when they all decide to go after the same fish?
(EXCLAlMS)
Feeding frenzy.
This 18-foot great hammerhead has picked up the scent
of a dead female reef shark that died during mating,
victim of bites from overly excited males.
It glides in, scoops up an easy meal and carries it away.
The great hammerhead is one of the few sharks
that eats other sharks.
Unlike sharks, dolphins have a nearly mystical status among you humans.
And Imust admit, they are certainly a friendly bunch.
(DOLPHlNS CLlCKING)
Quite different from female sharks,
a dolphin mother stays close and protects her pup
as it learns about the ocean, its mysteries and its dangers.
It's quite rare to see sharks and dolphins out swimming together.
Usually dolphins, who are faster, smarter and stronger,
are not worried about sharks.
But check out what's happening here. The baby dolphin has attracted the sharks.
They see an easy meal.
They are coming too close. Good thing mum is here.
They stop in front of her waiting for their chance.
The pup is such an irresistible entree.
(DOLPHlN SQUEAKING)
Someone is coming to the rescue. A large dolphin.
What a guy. No need for a fight.
The sharks give up and go away.
I might have stepped in there myself if Iwasn't busy showing you around.
Sometimes Ifeel a bit safer down here.
Get a load of those fins. And that body,
it's as big as a school bus.
That's the largest fish of the oceans but the most mild-mannered of all sharks.
It's the whale shark.
These gentle giants can weigh up to 68,000 pounds
and measure up to 60-feet long.
Their mouth is 5-feet wide and could swallow you whole.
But luckily it only feeds off plankton and not humans.
lts 300 tiny teeth, ironically, are not used for biting or chewing.
So, if they happen to be in the neighbourhood, you're quite safe.
For 400 million years, sharks have survived enormous environmental changes,
and yet evolution didn't prepare them for the super-predator
that would appear in only the last 50 years, industrialised man.
By slaughtering sharks, man is threatening the important role they play
in maintaining the balance of life in the oceans.
Some shark species have declined by as much as 80% in the past decade,
and some may become extinct within the next decade
before any action is taken to save them.
So even if they are not my best friends,
let's send a message in a bottle with an SOS,
save our sharks.
(STILL BE BLUE PLAYING)