On his second voyage to Australia in 1699, the English explorer and pirate, William Dampier, gave Shark Bay its name. It seemed he felt that the area was frequented by sharks, probably mistaking the dolphins for sharks.
Are there sharks at Shark Bay?
Sharks There are at least 28 shark species in Shark Bay. The most impressive is the Tiger Shark or “thaaka” in Malgana language. The most common to spot is the Nervous Shark, a small shark that gets its name due to its timid nature. Shark Bay is a perfectly safe place to swim and enjoy the beautiful turquoise water.
What is the meaning of Shark Bay?
noun. a large inlet on the W coast of Western Australia, 800 km (500 miles) north of Perth; the coastline is over 1500 km (930 miles) long and has two large shallow embayments and numerous islands; noted for its large sea-grass beds, stromatolites, and colonies of dugong; a World Heritage site.
What is so special about Shark Bay?
Shark Bay is one of the world’s most significant and secure strongholds for the protection of Dugong, with a population of around 11,000. Increasing numbers of Humpback Whales and Southern Right Whales use Shark Bay as a migratory staging post, and a famous population of Bottlenose Dolphin lives in the Bay.
Can you swim at Shark Bay?
The waters of Shark Bay are generally safe for swimming. Despite warm Leeuwin current influences it is quite cool in winter.
Is Shark Bay Safe?
Sharks are no more a threat in Shark Bay than anywhere else around Australia. Of the 28 shark species recorded in Shark Bay only one or two may arguably be considered dangerous. Stone fish are difficult to see and can inflict extreme pain if stepped on.
Are there crocodiles in Shark Bay?
It is also found in freshwater rivers and billabongs many miles from the sea. It’s range now extends from Onslow in the west (one was even found as far south as Shark Bay and we note in the latest literature even Exmouth is now included in ‘saltie’ territory.) to Gladstone in the east.
What animals live in Shark Bay?
Shark Bay Marine Park is known for its large marine animals, such as the famous Monkey Mia dolphins, turtles, dugongs and sharks. The park and its vast seagrass banks form an important part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
Are there great white sharks in Shark Bay?
The white sharks tagged in South Australia, travel up to 80 kilometres in a single day and are the same great white sharks spotted in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
How is Shark Bay in danger?
“Shark Bay has High Vulnerability to potential impacts of three key climate stressors – Air Temperature Change, Storm Intensity and Frequency, and Extreme Marine Heat Events – by 2050, with a low capacity for the system to adapt to climate change,” Dr Heron said.
Who is protecting Shark Bay?
As a signatory to the World Heritage Convention, Australia has an international obligation to protect, conserve, rehabilitate, present and transmit to future generations Shark Bay’s World Heritage values.
Who discovered Shark Bay?
navigator Dirk Hartog
Explored in 1616 by the Dutch navigator Dirk Hartog, the bay was named (1699) by the pirate William Dampier for its numerous sharks. Pearling, once important, has given way to fishing (prawns, crayfish, whiting, snapper).
When was Shark Bay formed?
about 5,000 to 10,000 years ago
The cliffs formed about 5,000 to 10,000 years ago when the Earth’s crust shifted along a fault line during an earthquake.
Where is Bay of shark?
Australia
On the Indian Ocean coast at the most westerly point of Australia, Shark Bay’s waters, islands and peninsulas covering a large area of some 2.2 million hectares (of which about 70% are marine waters) have a number of exceptional natural features, including one of the largest and most diverse seagrass beds in the world.
Why is Shark Bay Heritage?
WHY IT’S WORLD HERITAGE
World Heritage places really are the best places on Earth and Shark Bay is listed because of its beauty and abundance, it has evolving habitats and species, it’s a window in time, and is a wildlife refuge.
Who looks after Shark Bay?
The Shark Bay Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) is now under active management and provides for a buffer on the north-western boundary (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Regional/local planning recognises World Heritage Area status and management (IUCN Consultation, 2020a).
What things could affect Shark Bay?
Many of Shark Bay’s islands are nature reserves and protect native species that have declined on the mainland. Competition with and predation by introduced plants and animals are the main reasons for mainland declines.
What ecosystem is Shark Bay?
Shark Bay, in remote Western Australia, is one of the last large seagrass ecosystems virtually untouched by mankind. Almost 800 km (500 miles) north of Perth, Shark Bay’s remote location and small human population have protected it from the changes that have degraded most of the world’s seagrass ecosystems.
How old are the Shark Bay stromatolites?
3.5 billion years ago
These creatures are monuments to life on Earth over 3.5 billion years ago; a time when no other complex creatures were present on the planet.
How do you date stromatolite?
The scientists used radiometric dating to determine the stromatolites’ age, Joel Achenbach reports for The Washington Post, a method that relies on measuring the proportion of radioactive elements in the rocks.
What exactly are stromatolites?
Stromatolites (“layered rocks”) are rocky structures made by photosynthetic cyanobacteria. The microbes secrete sticky compounds that bind together sediment grains, creating a mineral “microfabric” that accumulates in fine layers.
What do stromatolites look like?
stromatolite, layered deposit, mainly of limestone, formed by the growth of blue-green algae (primitive one-celled organisms). These structures are usually characterized by thin, alternating light and dark layers that may be flat, hummocky, or dome-shaped.
What was first organism on Earth?
Bacteria
Bacteria have been the very first organisms to live on Earth. They made their appearance 3 billion years ago in the waters of the first oceans. At first, there were only anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria (the primordial atmosphere was virtually oxygen-free).
What is the oldest life on Earth?
microbes
The earliest life forms we know of were microscopic organisms (microbes) that left signals of their presence in rocks about 3.7 billion years old.