This is an expression of excitement, not fear, which many people hear in the Galapagos whenever these marvelous creatures are encountered.
The Galapagos waters hold a healthy population of sharks. The most frequently found include white-tipped reef sharks, black-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, Port Jackson shark, tiger shark and the hammerhead shark.
Most of the modern sharks possess long snouts and a mouth on the underside of the head. Sharks' teeth are continually replaced and are arranged in many rows, one behind the other. Their fins cannot be folded, for they are stiff and fleshy. In sharks, the tail fin is asymmetrical with the upper lobe better developed than the lower one. Being also a cartilaginous fish, its skin is tough and covered by dermal denticals. Denticals are not true scales but modified teeth!
Sharks breathe through their gills which are located on both sides of the body, and they are arranged in five to seven pairs on each side of the head. Cartilaginous fishes do not possess swim bladders and they slowly sink when forward swimming motion stops. Their pectoral fins and buoyant liver help maintain control over their cruising depth in the water, even at very slow speeds.
In Galapagos we often snorkel with sharks, but sometimes we are lucky enough to see them from the Zodiac! Today we had a close encounter with the white-tipped shark (Triaenodon obesus).
