Sharks And Dolphins

[the_great_she_elephant]

The Shark vs Dolphin Thinking program poses questions to students and asks them to answer based on the different perspectives of Dolphins and Sharks.

I was really intrigued by this concept and the more I thought about it the more I realised just how many areas  it opens up for discussion - apart from the obvious ones regarding the place of both species in the food chain and in the ecology of our planet.

One example: if given the option I suspect an overwhelming majority of girls would choose to be ‘dolphins’ whereas for boys (particularly older boys). the split would probably be closer to 50/50. What does this tell us about the way girls and boys see themselves and the world around them?

Another example: sharks and dolphins are both predators – they eat other living creatures. Why then do humans generally see dolphins as kind and gentle and sharks as cruel and brutal? Is it because 1) dolphins, like us, are social animals, 2) because dolphins don’t eat us and 3) because dolphins are more intelligent (by human standards) than sharks.

[the_great_she_elephant]

The Chivalrous Shark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8UNmDQQUno

[tasfleur]

Thanks she-ele, love it;  a most splendid song ... 

[davewil1964]

We all know which side you would naturally come down on. As would anybody old enough to remember Flipper.

[not_for_sale2024]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

One example: if given the option I suspect an overwhelming majority of girls would choose to be ‘dolphins’ whereas for boys (particularly older boys). the split would probably be closer to 50/50. What does this tell us about the way girls and boys see themselves and the world around them?

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I probably would choose to be a shark because I would want to be good at defending myself, others, and feel safer. I suppose that sums up how I feel about the world at the moment. But I am aware that dolphins are very good at attacking in numbers, and together can bring down a shark quite easily. I wonder if the kids know that? LOL

[tasfleur]

I will have to look up "flipper".

As for "sides", if there is a next life, I will definitely look into marine biology and perhaps do research into the dental anatomy and physiology of cetaceans in particular ... 

I do come down on the side of both sharks and dolphins (all marine creatures for that matter) because they belong in that environment.. as for sharks, they have to eat something and if humans are in the water at the same time, that's just unfortunate, usually mistaken identity!

[davewil1964]

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@tasfleur wrote:

I will have to look up "flipper".

As for "sides", if there is a next life, I will definitely look into marine biology and perhaps do research into the dental anatomy and physiology of cetaceans in particular ... 

I do come down on the side of both sharks and dolphins (all marine creatures for that matter) because they belong in that environment.. as for sharks, they have to eat something and if humans are in the water at the same time, that's just unfortunate, usually mistaken identity!

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Really?

As for the subject - sharks tend to be lone hunters, whereas cetaceans, especially porpoises and dolphins, use their intelligence to coordinate and orchestrate their food-gathering.

That intelligence thing. Especially where they can recognise whether something is food without having to taste it.

What I have read is that swimmers/surfers in black wetsuits look like seals to sharks. Seals are a natural food for sharks, so they taste it and don't generally go back for the whole (human) animal.

Dolphins eat things smaller than themselves, which would generally preclude people. They could well eat small children, I suppose, but they are smart enough to not get caught out. If they are that smart, then they are smarter than us. Their brains are about the same size as ours, so they either use them better or we are dumber.

A nearly 50-year-old hypothesis -

Roger Zelazny Kjwalll'kje'k'koothailll'kje'k

[tasfleur]

It could be argued that if a shark is in a situation where it is extremely hungry and accidently comes across a human in the water, it will take and eat what it can no matter what.  I guess it's because if there is nothing else on offer at the time, that's how it (the shark) will feed.

It's a complex subject which has no definitive answer and is inconclusive as it seems to depend on where the sharks are at any given time.  South Africa has interesting aggressive shark history, as does climate change regarding where some sharks are being found in waters where they normally do not frequent.

I'm not a marine biologist so I'm not going to comment further, it's outside of my subject area .. 

I do particularly like cetacia though, and also sharks;  some shark species have the most beautiful markings (such as the whale shark).

Have a great weekend everyone, I'll look forward to following this thread as it evolves.

[domino-710]

Don't care - if it anywhere warm enough - the plunge pool will do. lol

[ecar3483]

Anthropomorphism is a wonderful thing.

Sharks are, by reputation ruthless, killers, single minded.

And dolphins, by reputation, are friendly, playful creatures.

Teaching children to see the world not only, excuse the phrase, from a Pollyanna perspective, but also from a much more cold and ruthless perspective allows them a broader view.

And means, in due course, that they'll be able to see right through used car dealers and shonky real estate agents, ha ha.

Teach your children well.

There's nothing wrong with believing in the milk of human kindness, but it's best taken with a shot of cynicism. 😉

🙂

[springyzone]

I think you're right about the choices of boys versus girls.

Part of that (I suspect) comes down to the perception of toughness. Sharks are mega tough and formidable, at least that's the image the media tends to push. Rambos of the sea.

Sort of like T Rex is the top dinosaur as far as little boys are concerned. That's why most of the girls wouldn't choose to be sharks. Tough, ruthless, dangerous-they tend to be macho images.

Overall, I suspect most people think we have more traits in common with dolphins than we do with sharks. We read tales of dolphins working in groups or doing amazing things. Plus of course they don't generally eat us so there is much less fear of them. Fear of anything is an enormous thing, it shapes attitudes. People are more inclined to kill a spider than a butterfly.

I know humans kill a wide range of creatures but on the whole, we tend to like animals that like us. Dogs, horses, cats etc and have far less concern for creatures that are radically different eg fish, insects.

Most other creatures are a bit the same way too, prefer their own kind.

Sometimes I worry about extra terrestrials. If there ever are any who wander into our path, we'd better pray they have a lot in common with us.

Asking children to empathise or put themselves into the position of another can be an interesting exercise but at a conference I attended years ago, they mentioned that children just cannot conceptually do it at all before the age of about 7 and after that, it's a developing skill. Young children see most things in terms of self and how they relate to the world. The brain apparently is still developing till at least age 12 and beyond.