142 A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SEAS 



wanderer, Rhineodon, has been reported from South 

 Africa, Arabia, the Seychelles, California and the 

 Philippines. 



The Basking Shark {Cetorpinus maximus) of similar 

 habits to the Whale Shark, reaches 30 feet in length, but 

 favours a more northern habitat, being found in the 

 colder waters on both sides of the Atlantic. A number 

 of the largest specimens have been taken off the west of 

 Ireland and even near Brighton and the Isle of Wight. 



Of different calibre are most of the other large Sharks — 

 highly predaceous coastal sea raiders that have too often 

 justified the wild stories told of them. The typical 

 " man eater " is the White Shark (Carcharodon), which 

 reaches 40 feet in length and possesses some hundreds of 

 teeth, each \\ inches long. In one such specimen was 

 found a fully-grown sea-lion, whilst human remains are not 

 infrequently recovered from its expansive interior. In 

 much the same category fall such monster fishes as the 

 Blue Tiger {Carcharias) and Hammer-headed Shark 

 {Sphyrna), both of which are more or less gregarious and 

 the more to be dreaded since in combination they may run 

 down and tear to pieces creatures which might possibly 

 evade a single specimen. 



Of late years systematic attempts have been made to 

 commercialise these fishes and to good purpose. One 

 of the chief centres of this post- War industry is in Australia, 

 whose waters so swarm with Sharks that a look-out man 

 is deemed essential upon all the popular bathing beaches, 

 the Sharks not being deterred by mass humanity or the 

 obstacle of broken water. 



In Australia alone six species are recognised as habitually 



