The giant fish

Since the beginning of time, enormous and fear-inspiring fish have come from the depths of the oceans. Thus the manta ray living in tropical waters have been blamed for sinking ships while making tremendous jumps out of the water. In North America, sharks have long frightened seafarers. The bank fishermen of Newfoundland cursed sharks, because they would disrupt fishing operations, whether by eating cod, or breaking lines.

Inland waters are also sources of frightening tales. Disproportionately huge fish crisscross lake bottoms and rivers undetected, sustaining the myth that surrounds them. If some of those colossal fish are real, and the subject of many fishing stories, others have given rise to fabulous sea monster tales.

Let’s forget about Jaws, the terrifying Steven Spielberg’s motion picture! Remember, just a few species of shark deliberately attack people.

Most shark attacks against humans are not intentional. In the tropics, they usually occur in warm and shallow waters, where their habitual food source is abundant. Usually, shark encounters with swimmers or surfers are one-time occurrences. Attacks involving bites are even less frequent on deep water divers.
Underwater, a swimmer’s silhouette looks strangely like a seal or a big fish. This misunderstanding is the origin of many horror stories every year.

Among some forty species found in Canadian waters, only four of them are regarded as being dangerous to humans: the great white shark, the tiger shark, the shortfin mako and the oceanic shark (whitetip). Several attacks on boats have been reported in Canadian Atlantic waters, but none fatal. Canadian sharks generally stay far away from the coast, but some species, like the white shark, often come close to shore.

Sharks are fast-moving predators equipped with an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Shark attacks represent a potential danger to swimmers and surfers. Nevertheless, throughout the world, one is more likely to die from a snake bite or be struck by lightning than to be victim of a shark attack.

It would be difficult to imagine a more frightening animal! The great white shark is a silent killer, able to smell its prey from a distance of up to several kilometers away. These dreadful carnivores hunt mostly marine mammals and other fish, and its voracious appetite will sometimes cause it to attack animals or unusual objects simply to verify if they are edible or not.

Throughout the world, the population of this remarkable predator is declining.

The species is sought after by sport fishermen and are also vulnerable to fishing gears. Its jaws, teeth, flesh and some organs are sold internationally.

WHITE SHARK

One of the largest sharks ever caught in Canada was a 5 meter female harpooned near a PEI beach in August, 1988. Two other large specimens were caught in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

A shark as big as a bus! Who would have thought? However this was the case for the Megalodon which is the largest fish that ever existed on the planet. Twenty million years ago, this titanic shark colonized the oceans of every continent. It was an outstanding hunter, even feeding on whales! It is estimated that it reached a length of 20 meters and a weight of 100 tons. It became extinct about two million years ago.

A MEGALODON AND A GREAT WHITE SHARK

The Megalodon had more than 200 sharp and straight-edged teeth arranged in five rows. Since the shark skeleton is cartilage; its teeth are the only body parts that survived over the centuries. They have served as the foundation in the reconstruction of the Megalodon.

The whale shark and the basking shark are the largest living fish on the planet. They can reach up to 20 meters and 12 meters in length, respectively.

The whale shark swims slowly with its mouth open to filter the water and to capture small crustaceans, fish eggs and larvae. Approaching upon a colossus like a whale shark is a truly magnificent sight, especially if it rubs against the ship’s hull. Nevertheless, sailors and divers have long understood that this elephantine fish is harmless.

WHALE-SHARK

In 1997, a whale shark , about 10 meters (33 feet) long, was sighted in the Bay of Fundy.

The giant oarfish is also called the king of herrings or ribbonfish. Long bridging filaments emerge from its head. Its deep red dorsal fin stretches the entire length of its compressed and silver body.

Often observed on the beaches of Mexico, it can also be found lurking discreetly in Canadian waters.

Five species of sturgeons live in Canadian waters. These very special fish are truly living fossils; they resemble prehistoric animals much like their ancient cousins who inhabited rivers millions of years ago, sturgeons do not have scales. Bony plates covering their bodies form a type of armor.

Sturgeons perform impressive stunts. Their ability to make spectacular jumps out of the water would explain the legendary lake monster stories.

Their life expectancy is longer than that of humans. They can live to be over 100 years and, unlike humans, they never stop growing.

Sturgeons differ from other fish by their elongated snout, bony-plated body, and toothless mouth.

The white sturgeon can measure up to 6 meters (20 feet) in length and weigh more than 600 kilograms (1323 lbs). It is found in the Fraser and Columbia river basins of British Columbia.

Imagine how frightened two fishermen from Bay St. George, Newfoundland were when they first saw these human-like faces looming up from the deep!

Once these strange findings were removed from the mesh of their nets, the fishermen brought in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but the mystery remained intact. The news quickly spread into the Montreal newspapers, perhaps because the discovery was made just before Halloween ... It was only later that these mysterious objects were identified. They were simply the skulls of the Atlantic bluefin tuna!

This little devil is actually a dried and modified ray skeleton. These miniature dragons you are looking at were known and sold under the names of chimera, basil or Jenny Haniver. They were displayed in the popular curiosity cabinets during the 16^th and 17^th centuries.