Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-12
WHALE SHARKS
70 FEET LONG
JONAH SWALLOWED aY ONE
NORWEGIAN BISHOP SAYS
'hlan Eater" Which Rcams all Tenn.
psratc and Tropical Seas-Could
SwalIo" human Being


The depredalions of man eatinI
sharks along the Atlantic seaboarl
.zhd An especially timely interest To
communication from Dr. Hugh N
Smith, the foremost American author
it, on fishes addressed 10 the Nation
ii Geographic Society. and issued as
a bulletin
When giant fishes are mentioned.
most people viii at once think Of the.
shark, among which. inaeed. are founG
lie largest fish now existing writes
Or. Smith. or the many species al
sharks noteworthy on aecOun Of Their
size there are about half dozen
which are pfeeminent. These ditft
much in their disposition. some being
rs harmless as doves and Others the
incarnation of feroeity,
THE sleeper shark (Sommiosa
mierocephalusl, whose name fits II 50
admirably, appears 10 have developed
its body at the expense of It's brain
for 1t is sluggish, stupid slutton
about six times as long AS NJ average
man, At home in the Arctic regions, /
sometimes makes visits AS far south
IS Cape Cod, the British Isles. ana
Oregon. 1t is most often observed II.
ing quietly on the surface, apparently
dozlng and easily approached, but II
times, when hungry, il rouses itsel.
and fiercely attacks whales. biting
ange pieces out of their sides aad
tails. and when feeding on the carcass
VI whale which has been Killed b.
hunters it is so voraeious that il PEI
r.its spears and knives to he thrust
lnto II without seeming to take ans
aotlce.
one OF the most pr0digi0ns and per
haps the most formidable Of sharks Is
tie man eater (C.rcharodon carchar
iasl. It roams thru all temperate ana
tropical seas aud everywhere Is an Oh
Iect Of dread. Its maximum length IL
40 feet and its teeth are : inches lona,
While there are few authentic in
stances OF sharks attacking human BE-
ings (prior TO- the recent tragediesI
there have undoubtedly been man
eases Where sharks simply swallowed
leoplc who had fallen overheard. msl
AS they would swallow any other focu.
IoW easy 1t would be for a EIan eater
70 devotT a person whole may be
judged from the finding Of an entire
400 pound sea lion in the stomach OF
q 30 foot shark on the California coast
A certain man eater sc IL feat Ions,
llad jaws - inches wide, inside meas,
nro, and teeth ~ inches long. This
may nave been the great tiaE OF ths
eripture narrative and il ii possible
that at that time much larger man
eaters existed tfan are now Known. as
shark teeth viii cutting edges :
inches long have been found on tn
sea bottom, and these are believer b. I
naturalists 10 hcye belonged 70 sharks
not long dead. The phosphate beds OF I
South Carolina weld very large fossil
teeth of shark which was related {,
ne man eater Of the present day
a Norwegian bishop in learned pa
per brought 10 the attention OF the \
scientific and theological worlds
shark which he attempted 10 prove
must have been the great Eish THAI
swallowed Jonah This was lie bask
ing shark (Ceturhmus maxLusl
knoWn as the elephant or bone snale
which ~ an iubabtant OF the loIat
seas, bur occasionally strays IA ia,
south re- Virginia and California. ana
- former years was not rare on the
United States aud British coasts. The
species has the habit at times IT cot
iaclins III schools at the surface ana
DashlAs ia The sun with it's bach part
~ our ~ water Ii reaches a mayinum
length Of fifty feet, ana is exceeded
ia size BY only three on four animals
@Atanl Provided with small teeth. il
leeds on fishes and floating crnsta
eeans, and Is not OF ferocicns dispo !
s.tion. II Is dangerous only by yirtn,
~ It's great bulk and when attacked
~ powerful tail easily demoiisha..
boats.
The largest OF all fishes the largest
oF all cold blo0ded animals, and the
largest OF all existing animals. with
hhe exception OF a few species Of
whales, j. The whale shark (Rhineodoh
@plcusf originally described from
e0od Hope, bur now known from In
dia, Japan. South America. panannl
@aliiofhla ann various other places. Il
small specimen having been Obtained
% the Florida coast Il few years apn
rms marx has a very broad and OH
iare snout and IA exceedingly wide
NOUN armed with numerous minnie
teeth the DARK colored bodi II mark
~ WIN many small Whitsh gpo.s. The N
species IS l1trd 10 attain length AZ
~ Feet and Is known 10 exceed 80
fo@t Notwithstanding II immense sizr
floNe4ob Il is harmless to man unless
ttiaeaed, and tecds on ne stgall .rnn
'rieG Tor which fs teeth ara adantod
~ huge bulk makes il danlarous IN
! hr same way thqt whale i danger
~ Years ago II was reported that
fhe perm whale fishermen IA fbp l..
laHd 81 SAINT Dennis, in tho Indian
ocean, dreaded 10 harpoon whale
marx Nv mistake and stpricearn tnI,