: PBS LearningMedia
One last post for the night; I fibbed again. Out in the Caribbean, Chris and Martin are looking for sharks. They are disturbed by the false notions and the propaganda against sharks: that they are ruthless killing machines. So they want to clear up those misconceptions and show that sharks are just doing what comes naturally. After the intro (about how humans think of sharks as evil), we are treated to an evolutionary story about sharks first appearing in some "Devonian" era 400 million years ago. Afterwards, we get to learn about stingrays (a relative of sharks), many shark food such as goldfish and other animals such as moray eels (which have bitten divers). Pufferfish are also briefly shown as well as flamingoes. Along the way, the brothers get lost on a deserted island and are rescued by a shark scientist Dr. Sam Gruber. Sam tracks the sharks that live around the area so that he can help protect them. The sharks that Chris and Martin see are nurse sharks, lemon sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, sharp-nosed sharks and black-tipped sharks (who live in groups similar to dolphins). Nurse sharks are mostly bottom feeders and will eat anything small and crustacean-like it can find. It is not harmful to humans. It's a similar story with lemon sharks, only they live in groups. In fact, the only dangerous sharks the Kratts see are Caribbean reef sharks, but even when they spot them, the sharks don't seem to be vicious killers. Finally, we learn about the sharks amazing senses: electro-receptors, the lateral line (distant touch) and good smell and hearing although it uses sight as well to catch food. This episode shows that sharks are not nearly as mean as the media movies and reports suggest. Well-done, Kratts!
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