With water temperatures plummeting throughout their usual habitats, great white sharks sightings off the coast of Florida have been plentiful recently. The behavior has become a regular occurrence for the species as they seek the warmer water and ample feeding grounds of the Sunshine State. Savannah, a 460-pound female shark that was tagged as part […]
Shark dragging video leads to animal cruelty arrests
Three men involved with a case that sparked national outrage are now facing multiple charges of animal cruelty, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. Michael Wenzel of Palmetto, Robert Lee Benac of Bradenton, and Spencer Heintz of Palmetto face multiple felonies stemming from an incident in which […]
Backwater Bullsharking presented by Reelerz.com
As part of the Sharkophile’s brand ambassador partnership with Reelerz.com, we will be periodically creating exclusive content for their site. To kick things off, I headed down to my old fishing grounds in Southwest Florida to search for some bull sharks in the backwaters of the 10,000 Islands with old friend Capt. John Brossard of […]
New details about Statham-fronted thriller “The Meg” released
More details have emerged about the Jason Statham-driven shark thriller, “The Meg,” which will hit theaters in the summer of 2018. Statham will play the lead role of Jonas Taylor, who discovers a 70-foot long megalodon shark that was thought to be extinct while exploring the Mariana Trench. The Transporter actor has called the suspense-thriller film “a cross […]
Study finds endangered sharks make up third of global fin trade
Nearly one-third of the shark species in the global fin trade are at risk of extinction, according to a new study by Florida International University. FIU marine scientist Demian Chapman and his team collected samples from Asian seafood vendors and various other sources. Of the over 4,800 tissues collected, they identified almost 80 shark, ray and chimaera species […]
How the legend of Old Hitler landed on Discovery’s Shark Week
This story was originally published on Sharkophile.com on July 23, 2017. “Is that Old Hitler?” the young boy asked me as I was waiting for my luggage at the airport in Fort Myers. The boy’s mom looked horrified that her son was making Hitler references to strangers in the middle of a busy airport terminal. I […]
The Klute: Poet Laureate of Ocean Predators
Through his work with the Squali Studium Est Optimus Conservation Team, The Klute is trying to save the sharks one stanza at a time. “My goal is to educate and entertain,” the award-winning slam poet said. “I love sharks but they are kind of taking it on the chin right now so I wanted to […]
Sharknado’s Anthony Ferrante: Franchise’s success due to shark fans
Of all the different species of sharks that Sharknado director Anthony Ferrante has dropped on everyone from David Hasselhoff to Gary Busey, the great white shark remains his favorite. “The great white is what started it all for shark movies,” Ferrante said. “If it wasn’t for Bruce (the legendary shark star of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws) […]
Porn star’s alleged shark attack a hoax in poor taste
A viral marketing video for an adult-oriented webcam service which featured an adult film actress reportedly being bitten by a lemon shark off the coast of Florida is being called out as a hoax and the company behind it, CamSoda.com, is facing potential backlash. The promotional video, which featured porn actress Molly Cavalli, has garnered over 15 […]
Florida leads nation in shark attacks for 2016
With 32 confirmed reports of sharks biting a human unprovoked last year, Florida once again led the United States in shark attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File’s annual report. Volusia County, a surfer’s haven located on the Atlantic Ocean coastline of the state, was the site for 15 of those attacks. The ISAF, which […]