Shark

VHS cover

*Shark* is the ninth episode of the first season of Eyewitness. The topic of the episode is about cartilaginous fishes, their evolution and behaviour and their impact on human society. The episode first aired on 3rd October 1994.

*Shark* is based on a book title that was first published in 1992, and has been republished on several occasions including in 1998, 2014 and 2022.

## Episode

### Introductory sequence

The shots alternate between a slowly-approaching shark’s fin protruding from white water and composite clips of starry smooth-hounds. The shark’s fin turns and sweeps past the camera, leaving the screen white.

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Shark.

Sharks appeared 150 million years before the dinosaurs, can smell blood over a kilometre away and have a sixth sense not possessed by humans. There are 375 species of shark, and they are among the most misunderstood animals in the world.

Sharks have taken many forms in the human imagination, from monsters to gods. In the culture of the Pacific islands, Kaʻahupahau is a goddess who arbitrates between sharks and humans. People in Fiji believed that kissing a shark disarms it, which missionaries found to be true.

A shark attack is then shown. An investigation begins to find the culprit, but we still know very little about sharks. It was only recently that the giant megamouth shark was discovered. Part of our lack of understanding comes from the difficulty of studying underwater. What we do not understand, we tend to fear.

Most shallow water and bottom-dwelling sharks lay eggs, which take about six weeks to hatch. Very little is known about the shark’s mating behaviour, and even less documented are the live births of open ocean sharks.

Sharks have many varied roles in human culture. In Pacific cultures, they were symbols of power, fertility and said to have magical powers. Sharks do have some strange attributes, such as rarely suffering from cancer. Sharks have also been used to create medicines, lipstick and food.

Sharks first appeared around 400 million years ago. From the first animals came early fishes, and from those came cartilaginous fish. The chimaera is the shark’s oldest relative. Sharks are different from other fish, as they have cartilage skeletons, rough scaleless skin and no swim bladder. The sharks come in many shapes, sizes and colours, including unusual species such as the sawfish and angelshark. The swimming styles of sharks and rays is also explored.

The dorsal fin is the best-known and most menacing image of the shark, synonymous with the killer. But sharks only kill to eat. Sharks have a varied diet, but seem to not enjoy the taste of human flesh. Sharks have different teeth depending on their diet, with some plankton-feeding sharks having tiny or non-existent teeth. Perhaps the most famous set of shark jaws belong to the great white. The teeth of sharks have been used by humans as weapons and for detecting poison.

The whodunit to identify the attacker continues, with marine mammals and several sharks such as the bamboo shark and wobbegong removed as suspects. The early and rather primitive studies of sharks are examined here.

Rays are close relatives of sharks, but their cartilage spines are less flexible than those of sharks. There are over 400 species of ray, which come in a huge variety of forms. The manta ray is the largest and was once thought to be a fearsome creature that should be killed on sight, but we now know they are harmless plankton eaters.

Today, our understanding of sharks is being increased by attaching radio transmitters to them. Sharks can carry more than scientific equipment, with remora often hitching a ride on them. When fishing for sharks, remoras were sometimes used. Coconut shells are another tool used when fishing for sharks.

Sharks have an advanced set of senses, using sound, sight, hearing and a sixth sense, the ability to detect the electricity produced by living things, as ways of finding their prey. With more information about sharks, we get closer to identifying the culprit of the attack. Having narrowed it down to the five most dangerous shark species, the blue shark is identified as the culprit. Because of our fear, we net hundreds of miles of shoreline and kill over 100 million sharks a year, even though they only kill seven people in an average year.

The ocean remains an alien realm, which may be why we still demonise sharks. The Polynesian people however see sharks as their brothers. The shark’s continued survival depends upon our acceptance. Perhaps the goddess Kaʻahupahau still protects the shark, the outcome of eons of successful evolution.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Starry smooth-hound, *Mustelus asterias*
* Blacktip reef shark, *Carcharhinus melanopterus*
* Thornback ray, *Raja clavata*
* Leopard shark, *Triakis semifasciata*
* Live sharksucker, *Echeneis naucrates*
* Nurse shark, *Ginglymostoma cirratum*

### Stock footage

* Caribbean reef shark, *Carcharhinus perezii*
* Great white shark, *Carcharodon carcharias*
* Tiger shark, *Galeocerdo cuvier*
* Blue shark, *Prionace glauca*
* Leopard shark, *Triakis semifasciata*
* Scalloped hammerhead, *Sphyrna lewini*
* Basking shark, *Cetorhinus maximus*
* Megamouth shark, *Megachasma pelagios*
* Nurse shark, *Ginglymostoma cirratum*
* Sand tiger shark, *Carcharias taurus*
* Sandbar shark, *Carcharhinus plumbeus*
* Marine iguana, *Amblyrhynchus cristatus*
* Common shore crab, *Carcinus maenas*
* North Pacific giant octopus, *Enteroctopus dofleini*
* Southern stingray, *Hypanus americanus*
* Horn shark, *Heterodontus francisci*
* Chain dogfish, *Scyliorhinus retifer*
* Whitetip reef shark, *Triaenodon obesus*
* Bonnethead, *Sphyrna tiburo*
* Lemon shark, *Negaprion brevirostris*
* Comb-jelly, Ctenophora
* Jellyfish, Scyphozoa
* Staghorn coral, *Acropora sp*.
* Pacific hagfish, *Eptatretus stoutii*
* Lesser spotted catshark, *Scyliorhinus canicula*
* Spotted chimaera, *Hydrolagus colliei*
* Sawfish, *Pristis sp*.
* Pacific angelshark, *Squatina californica*
* Whale shark, *Rhincodon typus*
* Giant manta ray, *Mobula birostris*
* Black-footed albatross, *Phoebastria nigripes*
* Hawaiian monk seal, *Neomonachus schauinslandi*
* Beluga whale, *Delphinapterus leucas*
* Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*
* Killer whale, *Orcinus orca*
* Spotted eagle ray, *Aetobatus narinari*
* Common remora, *Remora remora*
* Smooth trunkfish, *Lactophrys triqueter*
* Red coris wrasse, *Coris gaimard*
* Oceanic whitetip shark, *Carcharhinus longimanus*
* Bull shark, *Carcharhinus leucas*

## Stock footage sources

Popeye the Sailor meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves (1937) – Popeye fighting shark

Natural World: Sharks on their Best Behaviour (1992) – Hammerhead shark catching wrasse

Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976) – Shark attack footage

## Credits

* Producer - Yvonne Ellis
* Graphics Designer - Alisa Robbins
* Writer - Paul Thomas
* Script Supervisor - Brian Meehl
* Camera - Ian Salvage
	+ Assistant - Andy Shillabeer
* Set Design - Ben Scott
* Production Manager - Peter Thornton
* Production Assistant - Lisa Garvin
* Production Secretaries - Cathy Wilkin and Caroline Elston
* Unit Manager - Grant Dean
* Researcher - Anne Farrell
* Picture Researcher - Martin Willis
* Assistant Picture Researcher - Lisa Kendrick
* Graphic Design - Caroline Sherry
* Editors
	+ Offline - Chris Godden
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Dubbing Editor - Julie Mitchell
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Music - Guy Michelmore
* Executive Producer - Michael Bright,
* Special thanks to:
	+ National Museum of Wales
	+ U.S. Navy
	+ Brent Mills, Nature Films
	+ Stuart Cove Dove, South Ocean
	+ Scripps Institute of Oceanography, U.S.C.D.

## Making this programme

A South Sea Island with a shark shrine was built in the Eyewitness studio. The shark book sinking to the bottom of the ocean was filmed on a turntable and then superimposed over a watery background. The coral mosaic was made in the computer. Small sharks were filmed against a blue background to illustrate the myth of sharks being born from a volcano and also allowed the sharks to move through the museum. The goddess Kaʻahupahau was brought to life through an imaginative set, clever lighting, bubble machines and a wind machine. The actress was placed on a moving platform which, when slowed down, gives the impression of floating. Underwater backgrounds were superimposed in editing and the footage was slowed down to quarter speed to give the impression of mystery.

## Home media releases

As well as being released on VHS, Shark was also released as part of the DVD release in the USA.

Shark America-release DVD cover

**Writing staff**: Anne MacLeod • Ben Southwell • Ben Steiner • Brian Meehl • David Hanson • David Stafford • David Helton • George Bloom • Lynette Singer • Mike Tomlinson • Paul Thomas • Stan Cullimore
**Directors**: Gavin Maxwell • Justine Kershaw • David Hutt • Andrew Jackson • Justin Hardy • Ludo Graham • Jerry Foulkes • Derek Hall • Sanjida O'Connell • Caius Julyan • Bonni Cohen • Leanne Pooley • Edwina Vardey • Alexandra Beazley • Sam Hodgkin • Karen Walsh • Jack Weber • Richard Simkin • Alex Hearle • Brian Cummins • Ben Southwell
**Composers**: Guy Michelmore (season one) • Guy Dagul (seasons two and three)

**Season One**: Cat • Fish • Horse • Dog • Jungle • Bird • Amphibian • Insect • **Shark** • Elephant • Reptile • Dinosaur • Skeleton
**Season Two**: Desert • Tree • Ape • Mammal • Butterfly and Moth • Volcano • Rock and Mineral • Seashore • Pond and River • Weather • Arctic and Antarctic • Prehistoric Life • Shell
**Season Three**: Flight • Bear • Sight • Island • Survival • Mountain • Monster • Human Machine - Plant • Ocean • Planets • Life • Natural Disasters