January 4, 2009

If already having a bad day, don't read this

I learned something recently that has changed my life, and I want to share it with all of you because I think it will do the same for you.

I'm listening to a really cool book (The Devil's Teeth, by Susan Casey) about the Great White Sharks that feed on seals every fall at the Farallone Islands, which are 27 miles west of San Fransisco. This island is fascinating for a number of historical and biological reasons, not the least of which is the rare size of many of the Great Whites that hunt there, right off shore. The Great Whites that can be seen in large numbers in other parts of the world (ring of death in South Africa; Guadalupe Islands in Mexico, etc) will average between 10-15 ft long. But the females at the Farallones are between 16-21 feet.

But I already knew those length statistics as I'm sure you did. It was learning the following that has changed me forever:

A 20 ft long Great White will be 8 ft wide and 6 ft deep. That's not a typo. 20 by 8 by 6.

It's important that you measure that out with your family for FHE, with the moral being that we be grateful for every breath we take.

9 comments:

Braden Bell said...

That is absolutely staggering. Seriously. 8 feet wide???????

davis@dontdodumbthings.com said...

ay de mi.

Eliza said...

you are weird and funny and wow that is unbelievably terrifying!

Andrea W. said...

The part that really gets me is the 6 feet deep, *shiver*!

The Allred Family said...

what the random??????

Tara Fears said...

Christian, I have done some pondering since you measured that out for us the other night. I'm wondering if you could also research the size of the mouth from top to bottom and side to side when it is fully open...you know, could it swallow me whole?

Jo said...

You see why I'm afraid to be in the ocean?

christian@dontdodumbthings.com said...

Tara, I can't tell you how gratifying it is for me to see someone taking this seriously. Most don't have any idea how important this is. One can't blame them though; they really don't know any better.

To answer your question, that shark could swallow you and 5 friends of your choice whole. At the same time.

Julie Jewkes said...

i totally agree about my font. it sucks. i have been trying to change it. hey...i need some christmas/prego pics asap. i wanna see what's going on.