IMAX - Sharks (2004)

The oceans, vast, varied, beautiful,

eternal, invincible, and infinitely bountiful.

Or so we have always believed the oceans to be.

But today, in the shadow of modern technology

and extreme fishing practices,

Our perception of the oceans has to evolve.

Ocean life is limited, fragile and endangered.

The consequences of imbalance in the oceans

reach far beyond the shorelines.

They affect all life on our planet,

including our lives.

Yet beneath the waves, the king,

the mightiest of all species, are amongst the most endangered,

the sharks.

Oh, hi. Be with you in a sec.

Just catching a quick snack before we go.

Okay, enough of this. I'll grab a bite along the way.

Speaking of bites, there is something I'd like to show you.

Some people, well, some predators, I'd like you to get to know better

Not exactly my closest friends,

being as they occasionally dine on my closest friends,

but a dynamic, fascinating and, well, I'd say, misunderstood bunch.

Look at this sand tiger shark.

I know. They are scary looking,

but in fact, they are not dangerous to humans.

Sharks are amongst the ocean's most ancient animals.

They were here 100 million years before the dinosaurs.

And if you do the math,

that means they've been around for about 400 million years,

give or take a millennium.

Sand tiger sharks, like this one, can grow up to 12 feet in length.

Sharks are some of the biggest animals on the reef

and are at the top of the food chain,

exerting a balance and a control over the complex webs of life below them.

Most sharks eat fish and other animals.

Squid, octopus and lobster are very popular

Surprisingly, sharks don't eat all that much,

and some go for weeks without eating anything.

They are picky eaters and do not eat what does not taste good to them.

People, for example.

Every yean pregnant sand tiger sharks, like the one you see here,

stay around this reef for a full month without eating anything.

Towards the end of the nine-to-twelve-month pregnancy,

they move to a more remote area to give bile.

There, the newborns have a better chance of surviving.

See the moss in her mouth?

It grows there because pregnant females don't use their teeth during this period.

I guess they don't floss, either

By the way, despite their ugly faces,

these guys have been pretty nice to me so far

But I'm not pushing it.

It's best to leave before dark when the hunt begins.

Now, the silvertip sharks are especially territorial,

meaning they guard their gulflike watchdogs.

That's why Grandfather would always tell me,

"When a silvertip's in sight, pull your head in and hide. "

Hello? It's, like, a pretty huge ocean.

You really donna crowd me like that?

Now, down here, the sharks are the head honchos,

the top of the food chain.

That gives them a big responsibility

for maintaining the balance of life in the oceans.

But mankind has given them a bum rap as "ruthless, vicious killers".

The fact is that while satisfying their appetites,

they are just doing their job.

They are playing a necessary role in nature,

much like the lions do as top of their food chain.

But lions have nicer hair and somehow seem cuddly.

So, they're, like, cool.

Sharks are cool, too, though.

They have a sixth sense, which scientists don't know much about.

They are able to detect tiny electrical impulses in the water

And since all animals produce some electrical signals,

well, it makes hunting easier

This silvertip, like other sharks, is the ultimate hunted

perfectly adapted for seeking out and extracting their prey.

Check out these fish. What's going on here?

They don't appear to be particularly frightened by the silvertip shark.

Strange, though, since they are trevallies, a bite-sized snack for sharks.

Look, they are brave enough to chase him away.

Hmm, maybe the reality of relationships down here is not as simple as you'd think.

Speaking of relationships, I've been thinking.

And, you know, I really feel I need more space right now.

Ever heard the saying, "Don't be a fool, stay in school?"

Well, that's how the many fish you are about to meet

avoid winding up on the predator's dinner plate, by sticking together

You see, when it comes down to it,

we really have only three major concerns around here.

First, where's our next meal coming from?

Second, how can we avoid being someone else's next meal?

And third... Oh, ask tournaments.

So each species has its own ingenious technique of self-defence.

These sardines travel in huge schools that confuse their predators.

Down here, you see, we are an pa?! of the food chain.

be eat and we are eaten.

Somehow we are an predators.

Really tasty. If you can manage to get a mouthful.

Come back here.

The big problem in our food chain, though, is, I could be next.

What a sight.

No, it's not a bird.

It's not a spaceship.

It's the most elegant and graceful creature of the ocean,

the giant Pacing manta ray.

Rays are closely related to sharks,

with the same rough skin and a skeleton made of lightweight, flexible cartilage.

For feeding, they glide through the water

altering plankton with their sponge-like gill rakes.

Weighing as much as 3,000 pounds,

these graceful giants are found in tropical oceans

and can have wingspans of up to 22 feet.

Don't worry, though, they're harmless towards humans.

Check out the tactic of the remora fish.

They hitch a ride by auctioning themselves to the manta's body.

This way they gobble up any leftovers. Clever huh?

Okay, no snickering now.

This next group is rather shy.

They're a bit self-conscious about their.. Their saw.