Floreana Island
There is a new world of colors to be discovered, a world of species that haven’t been described yet, that await for science to give them a name, to classify them in a genus, family and order. There is so much that we have to learn about the underwater realm! Every time we submerge in the pristine waters of Galápagos is like rediscovering this new domain, as if this was a different planet.
There is a group of animals that has been on Earth for about three hundred million years. They have successfully colonized oceans and even fresh water habitats, and today they have diversified into more than 250 species. Here I am talking about sharks, the creatures at the top of the food chain in the underwater world.
Unfortunately they have gotten a bad reputation, especially ever since the movie “Jaws.” But I am pretty sure that whoever has had the privilege of swimming among them has felt just awe and admiration. I can’t deny that my body produces extra adrenaline, even though my brain tells it that there are more possibilities of having a car accident rather than a shark attack. However that is also part of the charm of swimming among them. It is their beauty, their simple and efficient body shape and the ancient fear that makes snorkeling with a shark so special.
We just wish that more people in the world could have that experience, so less and less people of the planet would harm this amazing species, the product of 300 million years of evolution. Let’s not forget that 2004 has been declared “The Year of the Shark” here in the Galápagos Islands. Long live the sharks!
There is a new world of colors to be discovered, a world of species that haven’t been described yet, that await for science to give them a name, to classify them in a genus, family and order. There is so much that we have to learn about the underwater realm! Every time we submerge in the pristine waters of Galápagos is like rediscovering this new domain, as if this was a different planet.
There is a group of animals that has been on Earth for about three hundred million years. They have successfully colonized oceans and even fresh water habitats, and today they have diversified into more than 250 species. Here I am talking about sharks, the creatures at the top of the food chain in the underwater world.
Unfortunately they have gotten a bad reputation, especially ever since the movie “Jaws.” But I am pretty sure that whoever has had the privilege of swimming among them has felt just awe and admiration. I can’t deny that my body produces extra adrenaline, even though my brain tells it that there are more possibilities of having a car accident rather than a shark attack. However that is also part of the charm of swimming among them. It is their beauty, their simple and efficient body shape and the ancient fear that makes snorkeling with a shark so special.
We just wish that more people in the world could have that experience, so less and less people of the planet would harm this amazing species, the product of 300 million years of evolution. Let’s not forget that 2004 has been declared “The Year of the Shark” here in the Galápagos Islands. Long live the sharks!
