Shark History

From Myth to Symbol

The etymological roots of the word "shark" in fact indicate certain characteristics of the animal itself.  The Anglo-Saxon root scheron means to cut or tear (compare the French arracher).  "Schurke" is the German word for villain.  Since Elizabethan times, popular speech has used the word to indicate "sharks" in various contexts: loan shark, pool shark, card shark, etc.  The sound itself is sharp, and emphasizes the impression of urgency, of terror, of surprise and of assertiveness.

In France, the lord of the seas goes by the name "requin".  This very probably comes from "requiem", evidently referring to the unenviable fate that awaited the the unfortunate seaman falling overboard in certain tropical waters.  In Spanish, the animal is referred to by the name "Tiburon".  Not surprisingly, perhaps, many people in these countries believe that the English name for the shark is in fact "jaws", from the celebrated top-billing film.

If one is asks a random selection of townspeople and professional shark fisherman to choose four images that immediately come to mind when the word "shark" is mentioned, the similarity of response is amazing.

"Danger", "killer", "man-eater", "jaws", "desperate", "teeth", "fin", "fishing", "foam", "Great White", "Mako", "marauder", "deep water" are some of the key words most frequently encountered, irrespective of occupation, of the country concerned and of any real-life experience of the person in question with the regard to sharks.  It is remarkable, in fact, that all of the people questioned have never witnessed an attack, some have never seen or even caught a glimpse of a shark in their lives, and others live in countries where there are no sharks.

These responses suggest that the image of terror and destruction is much more firmly established than the picture emerging from scientific discoveries which reveals the shark to be an animal with a very distinctive biology and behavioral characteristics.  Several factors may explain the shark's reputation as a symbol of power and terror.

• It is undeniable that the shark really is the "lord of the seas" and the ruler of the deep of early ages, since it has existed unchanged for 350 million years, while man did not even exist 1 million years ago.  The shark is not only the biggest of the fish, it is also best equipped for hunting down and destroying its prey.

• It is capable of living in all waters shallow or deep, tropical or temperate, fresh or salt.  And as it is perpetually moving, there is nowhere that man can feel really safe from its attacks.

• Unlike most animals, the shark is never in need of prey on which to feed, and it is even capable of devouring its own congeners.  It has no natural predators apart from the Killer Whale and, very occasionally, the Sawfish.  Its "invincibility" is physical, dietary and ethological.

• Even more so than other fish, its tenacity for staying alive is impressive.  Gaffed, shot, harpooned, ripped open, it is still capable of moving about and tearing apart its victims in the water.  Even when apparently lifeless on the deck of the boat, it can still seize and cut off the arm or the leg of the imprudent fisherman several hours after being captured.