Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1916-08-17
Concerning Sharks


ure, and teeth ~ inches long. This
may have been.the great FISH al the
scripture nar1ffatsse.a and it is possible
~ az that ufne much larger man
eaters existed than are now known,
as shark teeth with cutting edges FIVE
inches long have been found on tie
sea bottom, and these are believed by
naturalists to have belonged to sharks
not long dead. The phosphate beds
OF south Carolina yield very large
fossil teeth Of a shark which was re-
lated to the man-eatar of the present
day; Judging from the comparative
size of these teeth. Professor Goode
thought that sharks 10 or so feet long
must have been common.
Many years ago q Norwegian
bishop in a learned paper brought to
the attention Of the scientific aufa
theological worlds a shark which he
attempted to prove must have been
the great fish that swallowed Jonah.
This was the basking shark (Cetor-
minus maximus) known also as the
elephant or bone shark. which is an
~lnhabltant of the polar seas, but oc.
~easionallT strays as far south as yir-
ginla and California, and in former
years was nos rare in the United
states and British coasts. The spe-
has the habit at times OF collecting
IN schools at the surface and baskins
IN the sun with its back partly out OF
water. 1t reaches a maximum length
OF DO feet and is exceeded In size
by only three or four animals extant
Provided with small teeth, it feeds
on fshes and floating c~rutaceans. 1t
IS dangerous only by virtue of its
great bulk and when attacked its
powerful tail easily demolishes boats.
In former years the basking shark was
hunted for its oil on the coast of Nor
way and Ireland; it was also ha4,-
pooned on the shore of Massachusetts
IN b early part of the last century.
and as many as IL barrels ST oil we're
sometimes obtained from the liver of
one shark, There are many records
OF basking sharks % to SO feet long
from the coast of New York, Massa-
.~chusetts, and Maine, but the species
has not been common in our watens
In recent years.
The largest Of all fishes, the largest
OF all cold-blooded animals, and the
largest of all existing animals, with
the exception of a few species of
whales, is the whale shark (Rineodon
typicus), originally described from
Good Hope, but now known from In
dia, Japan, South America. Panama,
California, and various other places,
a small specimen having been oh
tanned on the Florida coast a few
years ago. This shark has a yer,
broad and obtuse snout and an ex
ceedinglyWide meMth armed with nu
merous minute teeth THE darkc1Toref
body IS marked with many small
Whitlsh spots. The species is said t.
attain a length Of 70 feet and /.
known to exceed SO feet. Notwith
landing its immense size, howeves
1t is harmless to man unless attacked
and feeds on the small creatures fo
which its teeth are adapted. Its hug,
balk make it dangerous in the sam,
way a whale is dangerous. Year,
ago it was reported that the sperm
whale fishermen at the island of ST
Denis, in the Indian ocs@n, dreade,
to harpoon a whale shark by mistak,
n stories are told of a harpoonet
fish, having by a lightnins-like div,
exhausted the supply of rope whiel
had been accidentally fastened to th,
boat. Owed deeped still, and SO pullst
a pirogue and to the bottom.