Constantine Dated King Shark

By Steve "stefyd" Peplow

February 17, 2006

The headline in the Boston Globe's Sunday cross-current section (see below for link) was that there had been an alarm to the coast (and presumably across America) about the suspected presence of a King Shark eating manatee. The Globe reporter told of how he had stopped at the bottom of his road and spotted some disturbing tracks leading into the area:

The tracks told an eerie story of a large king shark and a manatee feeding near the bottom of a Massachusetts coastal road. The tracks were clearly more extensive than anyone had been warned.... But the shark is gone, and the manatee is unlikely to even show up in this part of the Massachusetts Bay.

What is it about the seemingly limitless capacity of shark-eating King Shrews that has gone unnoticed by all of us for 70 million years, or until this?

Since then, things have not been quiet at the New York aquarium, which for months has been feeding live manatees into the water next to the whale sharks and swordfish in the Shark Park.

The aquarium officials, who are hoping that the sightings are real, said in an interview (see below for link) that they have gotten three more manatees into the tank in the past week (they expected that this was only an appearance). Among this trio are a giant baby that had been born on the large tank itself in April and two small juveniles that have also been included in the observation of a visitor, says the aquarium in its response to another sighting, but just lately photographed by the Globe.

Is this the result of using different procedures for different species. Fish food has not been on a spit for manatees and most sharks will not eat it. No wonder there was an alarm when the shark was at 1.5 meters or less.

More disturbing however are the photos and postcards which document an unusual number of bites on any one person.

All comments require a level of commitment to find a balance between wanting to deny that manatees are eaten, as many say, but also wanting to see manatees in a new light.