The Shark Podcast: Valentine's Day

 

What better day to revive The Shark Podcast than for Valentine's Day? It's that one most overrated and annoying day of the year. I would find just as overrated and annoying if I wasn't single. I buy myself flowers if and when I want. 

That being said, I do have my own list of love songs that I think are truly beautiful. 

1. You're still the one - Shania Twain
2. Always and forever - Shania Twain
3. Ain't no mountain high enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
4. Come what may - from 'Moulin Rouge'
5. Lost in your eyes - Debbie Gibson (I wanted to draw the little copepod sitting in the Greenland shark's eyes singing this song)
6. It's your love - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
7. When you say nothing at all - Alison Krauss
8. Beautiful in my eyes - Joshua Kadison
9. Top of the world - The Carpenters
10. Everything I do (I do it for you) - Bryan Adams
11. Have you ever been in love - Celine Dion
12. Deeper than a river - Olivia Newton-John

Shark Week 2020!

 Shark Week doesn't really air in India the same time as the rest of the world. At first it bothered me that I couldn't take part in all the fun. And then I was educated enlightened by Dr.David Shiffman a couple of years ago and now I find the de-sensationalising of Shark Week even more fun. 

However, I do find their episode titles rather exciting (as intended) and I enjoyed drawing my take on the titles. Here are the ones from 2017 and 2016.  This year's titles attempt to be intriguing but it loses its hook once you realise that it's just some over-hyped shark drama below the surface. 

Anyway, I thought I'd choose some of the titles from this year's lineup. 

1. Air Jaws: Ultimate Breach off  (10th Aug)

2. Jaws awakens (11th August)

3. Extinct or Alive: Land of the Lost Sharks (12th August)

I heard that a few diverse sharks were featured in this episode including the Whitetip Weasel Shark (Paragaleus leucolomatus), Flapnose Houndshark (Scylliogaleus quecketti) and Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus). 

Extra: Great White Serial Killer Extinction

I heard there was another episode titled "serial killer" this year. Okay, so it had something to do with sea otters but this title needs to stop being applied to sharks unless it's a super duper fun monster flick. This drawing is from 2017 with a couple of small modifications.

4. Monster under the bridge (13th August)

Monster, it seems. I was gonna go with a Billy goat gruff sort of idea but then this tune suddenly started running through my head and I figured this is even better. 

5. Sharkadelic Summer

I just really wanted to try out some psychedelic backgrounds. 

6. Tiger Shark King

I modified my old tiger shark and tiger drawing to fit this one. Tiger Sharks are hilarious. The tiger is rolling its eyes. 

7. Wicked Sharks

Am I the only one who thought this when I heard that title?

Bonus: Alien Sharks 2020

I modified another one from 2017 with some of the diverse sharks featured this year.

Be sensitive and sensible.

Did you know that a shark can sense you in the water in many different ways? It can see you, smell you, hear you, feel you and feel you. The lateral line of a shark can sense pressure changes in the water and their ampullae of Lorenzini can pick up the faintest of electrical fields. Except, they have better things to do than stalk you for the sadistic pleasure of it.

As much as I love the song "Every breath you take" by The Police, I always thought it was a bit stalkery. I've had a stalker or two in my life (and not because they love my cartoons and want a commissioned piece) which is already a stalker or two too many. I just watched the show "You"which aims to make you almost root for the psycho but victims of stalking would only be sickened by it. It's any day better to be stalked by a shark, than a psychotic human.

13 Reasons Why (I Love Sharks)

I probably cannot tell you how many times I've been asked the question "Why Sharks?". I usually tell them it's because they ask such a question.
And then I thought about it and decided that I should give them a bunch of real reasons why I love sharks. So I came up with these. Don't worry, I do have a few sarcastic replies as well which will hopefully be another comic strip at some point.

For those of you who don't know, Port Jackson sharks are a type of Bullhead shark species (Heterodontiformes).

If you have a particular reason why you love sharks, do let me know and hopefully I can turn it into a cartoon for the next set of reasons.


I'll get a poster done at some point and it'll probably look like this. So let me know if you'd like one.

ps - I have not watched "13 Reasons Why" nor am I a fan of "Game of Thrones" so my apologies to those shows.

A Shark Lover's Life

Don't get me wrong - I love it when people tag me in or send me shark videos and pictures. I do feel like I've reached some sort of life goal when that happens. For those of you who don't know Phil Watson, check out Shaaark!
I only realised after I drew the Fox that Pink Fong's Baby Shark version has a fox as their mascot. I first heard the Baby Shark song at a camp about 15 years ago. It was just as cool then as it is now. I still get asked why sharks every now and then. I'm working on the perfect response.

The Shark's Poem (Now in technicolor)

A slightly modified version of my Shark poem. It somewhat captures what a shark is and what we have done to the species. We need our oceans, our oceans need sharks, ergo we need sharks. We don't need shark fin soup as much as we need oceans. Hopefully we will see an increase in intelligence in this matter in this generation.
Sharks are usually the main attraction in aquariums. Watching them makes life better even if just for the moment. They're on almost all kids' apparel brands these days (mostly on boys' but girls love sharks as much if not more). Don't let sharks die out.

Sandbar Shark Appreciation Day!

The Sandbar Shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae. It is distinguishable by its very high first dorsal fin and inter-dorsal ridge. 

The sandbar shark is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List.

It has been rarely associated with threats on humans. And yet, they are probably thrown in the "oh my gawd.... it's a big scary shark" category and fished recreationally (probably for the purpose of selfies). 

Valentine's day 2018: The Shark annoys valentiners

It's simply natural that the word "Sharks" comes after the words "I love". And it's natural to love sharks.
Valentine's day was cute when we were much younger. Then it got annoying. Now I wonder how it's still a thing. Yes, I suppose the companies that paid for all the heart designs keep it going but love really shouldn't need to be highlighted just once a year. Because then the day tends to be more important than everything else, right?
This Valentine's day, don't focus on the cards and flowers and gifts but be grateful that you have someone to call your own.
Also, love sharks.

Sharkin' on the dock of the bay

SharkFest UK is coming out with a calendar with images to change the perspective of sharks.

A lot of us have a perception of them as scary and creepy. I try to portray them as beautiful, relatable animals that play an important role in the environment. My shark art is usually inspired by human activities that are fun and inclusive.

Please go vote here everyday http://wshe.es/iLvtyZlF if you want to see this in the SharkFest UK calendar!

Shark Week 2017

Last year I attempted to draw a bunch of cartoons inspired by the episode titles and that was kind of fun. Even though they don't air here at the same time nor do I have a bunch of shark freaks to shark it out, I thought I'd do another series of episode themed cartoons. Even though the Michael Phelps one is probably the most talked about, I thought I'd start with Great White Shark Serial Killer lives.

#1
It seems as if they continue to believe/hope that such titles captivate more people than one simply capturing the beauty and splendour of the Great White. It's stuff like this that creates headlines describing the basking shark as "terrifying". So here's my cartoon. Don't miss the eye roll.

#2 - Shark-Croc showdown
My favourite part of this is the "leather cleaner". It's those little things that make a difference.

#3 - Alien Sharks
Like how I made the space ships look like skates and rays? It's things like this that make me such an awesome cartoonist.

#4 - Sharks in the city
The episodes focus on NYC and LA but the title obviously is meant to remind you of "Sex and the city" right? So, voila! This was probably my favourite one to draw and I loved how it turned out.

#5 - The Lost Cage
They did make it sound like mysterious lost treasure, after all.

#6 - African Shark Safari
See how I "subtly" do a Madagascar reference?
(This is actually meant to be #7 but there's a slight glitch with the original #6. I'll explain later, perhaps.)

Bitter about Litter!

I was asked to make some art for a beach festival (please read the post script for my take on this) to spread the message of "No littering". I made these ten.  The footprints, the "ocean-minded", "ocean sense" and "make trash extinct" lines are inspired by other posters I saw online.

The rest may seem a bit harsh, but honestly littering is just a combination of laziness, selfishness, bad manners and being aesthetically challenged. It's not that hard to find a bin. It's not too hard to take it with you. Don't litter public spaces - trash isn't pretty and it harms life around you especially marine life.

#1 - Part of your world? No, thanks.

#2 - Forget them not.

#3 - Love your neighbour

#4 - No mixed signals please!

#5 - Take it back.

#6 - Yay, us!

PS- This "festival" I went to was at a local beach and was very pretty, nicely decorated. It was mainly beach sports + music + dance + puppy pad - a bit hodgepodgey. While the environment was fabulous, I read a post about how these festivals could harm the beaches if proper care isn't taken. If such was the case, I should have known better so I apologise to my marine conservationist friends for not doing enough research or for not having a deeper conversations about these concerns (although I didn't really hear back from the conservationists). But if people love the beach so much, litter and marine life should be as much of a concern as enjoying it.

What makes a Shark a Shark?

My sister asked me the other day what made sharks sharks. I was all prepared to explain in detail but something came up. It did give me an idea for a series though. Many websites on Shark information have a page on this and I hope my take on it is somewhat accurate.

Unlike most other fish, sharks do not have bones. They have cartilage which has a lower density and is both flexible and durable. This helps the shark to stay afloat and swim better.

Sharks have tooth-like scales (placoid scales) all over their skin which reduce drag and turbulence in the water, hence helping them swim faster and more efficiently.

Fins have fins that can't fold down like those on other fish. Their fins have various special functions. Those aren't really the names of those fins, in case you were wondering. The big "scary" fin on top is the first dorsal fin and is used to balance the shark. The pectoral fins on the side help them steer and the caudal fin or tail fin help them to propel forwards. In addition to these, sharks have pelvic and anal fins.

Sharks have gill slits rather than the flappy gills most fish have. Sharks usually have five gill slits but there are some sharks with six or seven. (This Shark only has three because it's a tiny cartoon shark). Most sharks swim with their mouths open to keep water flowing through the gill slits.

Depending on the species, sharks either lay eggs (fewer than fish) or give birth to fully developed young. Shark egg cases vary in size and shape.

In addition to the five senses they share with us (although their sense of smell and sound is probably better), Sharks also possess two additional senses that help them be completely aware of their surroundings. You know, unagi. Their Ampullae of Lorenzini allow them to detect even minute electrical fields generated by other creatures. They can also detect changes in pressure around them through a Lateral line. Cool huh?

Shark teeth come in all sorts of shapes depending on the shark and its diet. The cool thing about shark teeth is that they get replaced by new teeth periodically - this keeps them sharp always!

Unlike fishes (that have swim bladders), Sharks have large oil-filled livers than help them with buoyancy.
ps- That bath mat needs to be mass produced.

Sharks have quite a few traits that make them unique. On top of these special features, sharks have additional features (some sharks have particular features while others have other features) such as third eye-lids, temperature control, disjoint upper jaw.

Sources: http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/10/02/what-makes-a-shark-a-shark/
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/classification/what_makes.htm
https://www.sharktrust.org/shared/downloads/educational_resources/marine_educators_toolkit/what_makes_a_shark_factsheet.pdf