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Not just Shark Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and chimaera's from around the world. It began as a simple web based field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter different species of sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark diving and photography. There are now more than a thousand shark pictures and sections on shark evolution, biology, and conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
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ELASMODIVER EXPANDED If you're looking for a broader range of marine life pictures the following links represent a new area that contains pictures on other marine organisms and on marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is in its first stages but will eventually include pages on everything from sea stars to nudibranches. Creating this portal will take time and for now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please return regularly to enjoy the progress.
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SHARK PICTURES AND INFORMATION - SHARKS AND RAYS OF THE WORLD |
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Thornback Ray pictures and information added to the Shark Picture database 28/02/08 |
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New Story added to the Elasmodiver Article Section 23/03/08 Tracking down the resting place of the slowly disappearing California Swell Shark |
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Crossing the Big Blue... New ElasmoBlog - 23/03/08
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The Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide |
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Sharks and rays are amazing creatures. They inspire many emotions among divers, fishermen, movie watchers, aquarium visitors, surfers, and anyone else who has the chance to interact with them. The emotions that they conjure up in us include awe, fear, delight, repulsion, excitement, curiosity and terror but the one thing that sharks rarely inspire is boredom or indifference. Why they engender such strong feelings among us varies from a primordial fear of large predators to a respect for their incredible abilities and a deep appreciation of their power and grace. What ever reason you have for your interest in sharks and for visiting Elasmodiver, I hope you enjoy all the shark pictures and information that is contained here and that you take away and pass on a renewed desire to help these incredible creatures survive in an increasingly hostile environment.
Thank you for visiting Elasmodiver, Andy Murch - Shark Photographer and Web Master |
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ORDER TORPEDINIFORMES TORPEDO RAYS, COFFIN RAYS, ELECTRIC RAYS & SLEEPER RAYS |
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Family NARCINIDAE - Electric rays |
Family HYPNIDAE - Coffin rays |
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ORDER MYLIOBATIFORMES WHIPTAIL STINGRAYS, ROUND STINGRAYS AND STINGAREES, DEEPWATER STINGRAYS, FRESHWATER STINGRAYS, BUTTERFLY RAYS, SIXGILL STINGRAYS, EAGLE RAYS, COWNOSE RAYS & DEVIL RAYS |
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Family DASYATIDAE - Whiptail Stingrays The biology and behavior of Whiptail Stingrays |
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Family POTAMOTRYGONIDAE - River stingrays The biology and evolution of River Stingrays |
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Family UROLOPHIDAE - Round stingrays and stingarees |
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Family MYLIOBATIDAE - Eagle rays |
Family MOBULIDAE - Devil rays |
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Family RHINOPTERIDAE - Cownose Rays |
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ORDER RAJIFORMES SKATES |
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| Family RAJIDAE - Skates | ||||
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ORDER RHINOBATIFORMES SHARKFIN GUITARFISHES, GUITARFISHES & THORNBACK RAYS |
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Family RHINOBATIDAE Guitarfishes |
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Family PLATYRHINIDAE Thornback Rays |
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ORDER PRISTIFORMES SAWFISH |
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| Family PRISTIDAE - Sawfishes | ||||
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ORDER HEXANCHIFORMES SIXGILL, SEVENGILL & FRILLED SHARKS |
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| Family HEXANCHIDAE- Six and seven gilled sharks | ||||
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ORDER ORECTOLOBIFORMES ZEBRA SHARKS, WHALE SHARKS, BAMBOO AND EPAULETTE SHARKS, BLIND SHARKS, NURSE SHARKS, WOBBEGONG SHARKS & CARPET SHARKS |
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STEGOSTOMATIDAE Zebra sharks |
RHINCODONTIDAE Whale sharks |
Family GINGLYMOSTOMATIDAE Nurse sharks |
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Family HEMISCYLLIIDAE Bamboo and Epaulette sharks |
Family BRACHAELURIDAE Blind Sharks |
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Family ORECTOLOBIDAE - Wobbegong sharks |
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| SPOTTED WOBBEGONG - Orectolobus maculatus | ||||
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ORDER SQUALIFORMES DOGFISH SHARKS, SLEEPER SHARKS, BRAMBLE SHARKS, LANTERN SHARKS, ROUGH SHARKS, KITEFIN SHARKS, GULPER SHARKS & BIRDBEAK SHARKS |
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Family SQUALIDAE Dogfish sharks |
Family SOMNIOSIDAE Sleeper sharks |
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ORDER LAMNIFORMES MACKERAL SHARKS, SANDTIGER SHARKS, BASKING SHARKS, THRESHER SHARKS, MEGAMOUTH SHARKS & GOBLIN SHARKS |
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Family LAMNIDAE Mackeral sharks |
ODONTASPIDIDAE Sandtiger sharks |
CETORHINIDAE Basking sharks |
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ORDER CARCHARHINIFORMES HAMMERHEADS, REQUIEM SHARKS, SMOOTHHOUND SHARKS & CATSHARKS |
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| Family SPHYRNIDAE - Hammerhead sharks | ||||
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Family CARCHARHINIDAE - Requiem sharks |
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Family TRIAKIDAE - Smoothhound Sharks |
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Family SCYLIORHINIDAE - Catsharks |
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ORDER HETERODONTIFORMES BULLHEAD SHARKS |
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Family HETERODONTIDAE - Bullhead sharks |
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ORDER SQUATINIFORMES ANGEL SHARKS |
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Family SQUATINIDAE - Angel Sharks |
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ORDER CHIMAERIIFORMES CHIMAERAS & ELEPHANTFISHES |
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| Family CHIMAERIDAE - shortnose chimaeras | ||||
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USE OF PICTURES All pictures are the property of Andy Murch or other contributing photographers. No pictures may be copied or reproduced without prior consent. If you wish to acquire high resolution images for commercial purposes please contact Elasmodiver.
All available pictures of sharks and rays are listed in THE SHARKIVE |
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Crossing The Big Blue May 10th 2008
I am writing this shark blog while sailing from St Maarten in the Caribbean to Mallorca in the Mediterranean. I have been hired to help deliver a 103ft Swiss super yacht named Gliss. It is my first transatlantic crossing and everything seems to be going well on the surface but of course I prefer to be under the surface so for me the whole experience novel but a little frustrating. We have been at sea for just over one week. There is plenty of food on the boat but each day the more carnivorous members of the crew trail lures in the hope of catching some fresh fish. I have warned them that if they pull up a shark I will cut the line but there appears to be little chance of that. What is disturbing is that after hundreds of hours of trawling they have failed to get a single bite. Perhaps they are just terrible fishermen but the process isn't rocket science so I can only assume that the seas are now basically empty. It is a sad testament to the state of the oceans. Since there is no marinelife to document except for the occasional flying fish, I am using my down time to make as many changes to Elasmodiver as I can. Consequently, there is a new shark story entitled The Swell Shark's Last Stand in the shark stories section and a new page on the Thornback Ray which sadly will be the last new species that I upload until I can get underwater and take some more shark pictures. I have been reading up on South Africa which will hopefully be the subject of my next big shark photography adventure after I find my feet in Europe. The plan is to head to Cape Town to shoot as many catshark species as I can find before I run out of time and resources and fly back to Spain to work on mega yachts again for the rest of the summer. So, if anyone reading this blog dives in the Cape Town area (or anywhere in SA for that matter) I would appreciate any advice that I can get on dive sites there. This type of helpful communication was the original reason for the existence of Elasmodiver - to promote the two way flow of information that helps divers find sharks and rays around the world. One of the excellent letters on South African shark diving that I received some time ago is posted in the shark talk section. It includes a very detailed summary of diving options along the South African coastline and it is packed with useful tidbits and contact details that would be hard to gather unless you lived or regularly dove in a particular place. This kind of information whether long and detailed or just a couple of sentences in a email is always welcome especially if it is about an obscure location that the average diver would not think of going to. So if you live in Suriname, Vladivostok, Chile, Norway, or anywhere else with a coastline that has sharks and rays, drop me a line and tell me what is there. Nothing to me is more inspiring than an email from someone I haven't met, describing somewhere that I have never been and telling me where I can find a shark or ray that I have yet to photograph. This is how new adventures are born. For the Sharks, Andy Murch
More Sharks in Peril February 18th 2008
If I add 9 new sharks to the list of species on Elasmodiver it means that I have had some great opportunities to shoot new shark pictures in the wild. It is a cause for celebration. When the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) add 9 new sharks to their list it is a bad day for sharks. The red list is a compilation of all of the world's animals that are endangered. The list represents the indisputable findings of the international scientific community and does not rely on speculation or probability. On top of the IUCN listings there are probably even more species that are also critically endangered but there is not enough data to prove it. Sadly today the IUCN announced that 9 more sharks will soon be added to the red list including the scalloped hammerhead shark which was once commonly seen in enormous schools close to many offshore seamounts. These new species will bring the total number of sharks on the list to 135. Hammerheads are particularly vulnerable because of their predictable seasonal congregations and because their fins contain a very high concentration of fibers that are used in the production of shark fin soup. Consequently, they are heavily targeted. Researchers now believe that scalloped hammerhead populations have plummeted by a staggering 99%. As an individual I often feel ineffectual in the fight to save endangered shark species. My images have been used by the Shark Alliance, the World Wildlife Fund, Sea Shepherd and many others to publicize the plight of these majestic and incredibly important creatures but while the heavyweights go to war to force through protective legislation, millions of sharks continue to die at the hands fishermen on the high seas. It appears that after 400 million years of shaping our environment, sharks have finally found an insurmountable obstacle laying in the way of their continued survival. As the last sharks swim into history some people will no doubt rejoice believing that the world will be a safer place but this attitude stems from ignorance. Removing sharks from the oceans will allow vastly more dangerous animals to rule our seas. Voracious Humboldt Squid have already begun to extend their range and can now be found in record numbers along the coast of Baja and California. And some bony fishes (also usually over fished) will soon have no natural predators to keep their populations healthy and in check. Let me lay it out in a simplified way... | ||||
