Sunday, February 8, 2009

Photohunter: Bridge


Here's a pretty well known bridge; the golden gate bridge. What most people don't know is the great variety of life which resides under the golden gate bridge, like the seven gill shark.


Seven gill sharks are called that because unlike most modern day sharks, which have five gill slits on either side of their head, seven gills have seven. There are only a few other sharks which have more than five gill slits, namely the six gill shark, and the sharp-nose seven gill shark. These sharks are considered some of the most primitive sharks alive today. The seven gill generally hangs out under the golden gate bridge area, as it is the deepest part of San Francisco bay. They are also the largest shark in the bay, reaching 10 ft (~ 3 m) in length. The largest shark in the area, the white shark, does not enter the bay as it cannot tolerate the brackish water.

Back in the day, these guys were heavily fished for their oily liver. The fishery in San Francisco collapsed in the 1940s due to heavy fishing. They seem to be making a bit of a comeback, although there is no official data on their status. They are doing a tagging and tracking study on these guys, to see exactly how they use the bay, so maybe we can also get a better idea of population numbers too.

10 comments:

Tammy said...

Beautiful picture! Happy photo hunting!

Anonymous said...

I was late with my Photo Hunt this week, too. I love the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a great subject and your photo is a good capture of the icon.

I enjoyed your shark trivia, too. If I ever make the trip to San Fran I won't be swimming beneath the bridge! :>)

You can find my Photo Hunt here:

JyLnC's Photo Hunt

Krista Meyer said...

Great photos!!! And the lesson was great. Wonderful entry.

sammawow said...

I have always wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge but have never been that far north when I've been in California. Great shot of that shark and interesting info about him too! Great choices for the theme!

ReadWriteSnap said...

OMG! Wow, it made me look at Golden Gate Bridge differently!

Leslie said...

That's fascinating!

YTSL said...

Thanks for the cool lesson connected to the Golden Gate Bridge -- or, rather, what lies in the waters beneath and surrounding it. :)

storyteller said...

Sigh ... Blogger ATE my first comment so I'll try again. Love the perspective on the GG Bridge and enjoyed the lesson about sea life down under. Thanks for visiting my Bridge post at Happily Retired Gal leaving the link back here.
Hugs and blessings,

Anonymous said...

very nice shots.!

Rebecca Mecomber said...

Thanks for this post-- I love learning about other places. You did a creative take for this week. I never imagines what critters lay UNDER the bridge!!

Thanks for visiting my Photo Hunt last week. I am finally catching up!