The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1904-12-02
SOME GIANT FISHES.
Four Kinds of sharks Which stand
I'm the Front Rank For Size.

Four Kinds of sharks Which stand
I'm the Front Rank For Size.
or the numerous kinds of sharks
noteworthy on account of their size
there are four in the front rank These
are the sleeper shark, the man eater
shark, the basking shark aud The whale
shark
The sleeper shark, whose scientific
name (Somniosus mlcroccphalus. mean
ing sleepy small headed fish, fits il SO
| admirably, appears To have developed
its body at the expense OF its brain. for
il is II sluggish, stupid glutton. about
six times rs long as the average man.
Its home is in the arctic regions. but it
sometimes makes visits as far south as
Mass2 chusetts. Oregon and the British
| isles. Ii is usually seen lying quietly
at the surface, apparently doing. and
Is easily approached by vessels, but
sometimes when hungry it rouses itself
and goes in search of its prey, fiercely
attacking and injuring whales. appar-
emily unconscious of the great differ
ence in their respective sizes.
One OF the largest and perhaps the
IiOSl vi SIluThS Is lne Ul0n
eater" or great blue shark (Carcnaro-
don carcharias). 1t roams through all
temperate and tropical seas and il
everywhere dreaded. Its maximum
length is forty feet, and its teeth are
three inches long. While there are few
authentic records of sharks attacking
human beings, there have undoubtedly
been many cases of sharks simply
swallowing people who have fallen ov-
erboard, just rs they would swallow
any other food. How easy il would
be for n man eater In devour Il person
may he Judged from the finding of II
whole hundred pound sea lion in the
stomach of Il thirty foot shark Gil the
thirty-siS and half feet long had
jaws twenty inches wide inside and
teeth two and half inches long.
The basking shark. known also as
the elephant shark and hone shark
(Cetorhinus maximus), is an inhabtant
of the polar seas, but is occasionally
observed as far south as Virginia and
California and some years ago was
not rare on the English and New Eng
land coasts. II reaches Il maximum
length of fifty feet and is exceeded in
size by only three or four animals now
alive. Provided with small teeth it
feeds on fishes and floating crustaceans
and is not of Il ferocious disposition. II
is dangerous only because of its great
bulk, and when attacked its powerful!
tail easily demolishes small boats. The
basking shark was formerly hunted on
the coasts of Norway and ireland for
it's OIL 1t was also sought ON the
shores OF Massachusetts iii the early
part of the last century, and many of
these sharks from twenty-five To thir-
ty-eight feet long were recorded. The
liver OF large specimen sometimes
yielded twelve barrels of oil.
The largest of all fishes, the largest
Of all cold blooded animals ana the
largest of all existing animals, except
few kinds of whales, is the whale
shark (Rhineodon typicusl. originally
discovered at the Cape of Good Hope.
but now known in Japan. India, South
America, Panama, California and else
where. Il specimen having recently been
obtained in Florida. This shark is
said to attain Il length of seventy feet
| and is known to exceed fifty fect.-St
Nicholas