Last week, I showed you an image of a shark's jaws and asked you to guess whether you thought it was real or not. Nearly 70% of you thought it was real. For those of you who thought it was real, you're right: it's a picture of a real lemon shark. Captured by remainingoceansart, the image was taken in the Bahamas. It's one of the best shots I've seen in a while, for several reasons. It's crisp. It clearly demonstrates behavior. You can see each row of this giant animal's teeth. I love that when the shark breaks the surface, he makes virtually no splash. It's terrifying and beautiful at the same time. It's such a great shot. Check out the other great shots remainingoceansart has on his Flickr photostream, and I think you'll be impressed.
We haven't done a Real or Not? in a while, but when I saw this image, I knew I had to use it.
It may not be as unsettling as the video of the frilled shark, but it's still pretty scary. What do you think? Is this scary shark image real or not? I'll reveal the answer on Monday. (Don't forget to click "Add my Vote!")
Last week, we posted this image of the Snorkel Cork and asked you to decide if it was real or not.
Nearly 90% of you voted that it was a total sham. For the small minority that voted it was real, I have a question: if you shove a cork in your snorkel, how do you expect to breathe? In any event, the snorkel cork is not real. It is the creation of Scuba PRWire's advertising team, which was trying to illustrate the importance of advertising and marketing -- even for not-so-hot products. I thought the idea of a snorkel cork was just too clever to ignore.
More than 90% of you voted that the image was not real, and if you voted this way, you're right: the image is not real. It's a big, fat fake that I found at All Fantasy Art. Regardless, I think the image is cool in a nightmare-ish, better-you-than-me kinda way, right?
Last week, we showed you an image of a gaping shark's jaw and asked if you thought it was real or not.
While a few people believed the image was distorted -- some sort of cameratrick -- many believed the jaws in the photo are those of a megalodon, an ancient ancestor to today's great white that could grow 60 to 70 feet in length. This belief informed many votes, and just over half of the 1230+ voters thought the image was real.
This image was taken in 1995, at a natural history auction. According to CNN, "The [auction's] top estimate of $1.2 million is for a 10-foot-tall reconstructed jaw of an ancient shark believed to have been 70 feet long. The gums are fiberglass, but the 184 teeth are real. The longest is 7 and five-eighths inches." So the image is real; however, portions of the model are manmade -- although they're based on carefully-calculated proportions. Consequently, in my mind, if you voted real, you're right. (But if you voted not real, we'll let it slide this week, because it was kind of a trick question.)
80% of you assumed the fish was real. If you voted this way, you're right: this photo of a King-of-the-Salmon is 100% real!
King-of-the-Salmon normally live deep in the ocean (about 1600 feet below the surface), and local experts are confused to why 6-foot-long fish washed up on an Oregon beach a few weeks ago. If you're wondering about its regal name, Tiffany Booth of the Seaside Aquarium claims, "The name King-of-the-Salmon originated from an Indian legend which describes the fish as the 'king' who leads salmon back to the rivers to spawn." Sort of a Pied Piper of the salmon community.
Last week, we posted this image of a jumping/flying shark and solicited your thoughts on its authenticity:
Just over half of the more than 1200 votes we received claimed the image was real. If you voted this way, you're right: the image is 100% real. I found it in a slideshow on Field & Stream.
Brendan Mason, a software developer from Seattle, caught this enormous mako -- estimated to be 11 feet long and over 600 pounds -- off San Diego. Attracted to some chum, the mako gnawed on both the boat and its motor. Mako sharks have been known to leap over, and even into small boats, when hooked. However, before that happened, Mason released the huge fish. Consequently, the shark -- probably a female -- is swimming freely today.
Some of the comments in last week's Real or Not? suggested we ditch the same-old, same-old Scary Shark routine. So this week, we're going to mix it up a bit. Consequently, this week's Real or Not? is titled "Freakin' Fish: Frightening or Phony?" Here's the image:
If you are among the 200-or-so people who voted that the image was real, then you're either joking or disturbed. Conversely, if you are one of the 96% of the 5500+ respondants who agreed that the image was not real, then you're right: the image is fake. It's from Jaws: The Revenge.
I found the screengrab on Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension, who claims the film: "is marked by a rare distinction. The gulf in quality between Jaws and Jaws: The Revenge may well be the widest between any two such films in the entire history of cinema." I remember seeing the movie in the theater, and even as a boy, I remember that it really, really sucked. Anyway, about an hour into the movie, the shark (nick-named Bruce) leaps out of the water and grabs Ellen, killing her. This image is that moment.
Thanks to all who participated, and I hope to provide a more challenging image next time!
