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Nature that has had a profound impact on human culture and society across history.

Nature that has got under our skin and profoundly impacted human culture and society across our history.

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Natural Histories: Sharks

Sharks

BBC Radio 4 - Natural Histories, Sharks

Brett Westwood examines our fear and fascination with sharks in cultures around the world

Brett Westwood examines our relationships with sharks; seen as deities in Pacific cultures and typecast as a fearsome, ruthless killer in Jaws, this ancient predator captivates us

Who can hear the word shark and not the music from the film Jaws?  This 1975 film, based on a book from the previous year, is defined as a “watershed moment for sharks.”  From being little thought about by most people sharks were suddenly propelled into the lime light as fearsome, ruthless killers whose intent was to harm us humans.  An entertaining film became the death warrant for millions of sharks.  Our terminology is not helpful.

We find it impossible to speak about sharks without using emotive language: seas are “infested,” sharks “menace” they “cruise around looking for a victim, they “invade” our swimming beaches etc.   Crooks are “loan sharks.”

In Hawaiian culture they are often seen as protectors or brave fighters in battle.

We have a difficult relationship with sharks. We have traded their teeth and eaten their fins, so much so that millions are now killed annually for this delicacy for the aristocracy.  Damien Hurst has tried to capture the fear of the shark in his famous tank, allowing the viewer to stand next to an open mouth without being in danger. We will always be challenged by this supreme predator, if we allow it to survive in the wild.

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