It’s Their World; We Just Live in it.

July 12, 2009

3 min read

Call me crazy, but today I sat down to watch Untamed and Uncut for the first time on Animal Planet and I have to say, it was disgustingly interesting. They caught me with the crocodile who tried to break his trainer’s arm. I know, kind of gruesome.

Too bad that is not all. I also witnessed shark attacks, deadly snake venom eat through a man’s skin, an octopus attacking a diver, an eel biting off a man’s finger, and get this: a marlin’s bill impaling a boy’s throat! Yes, this is the one I will dedicate my blog to.

So this 18-year-old boy, his sister, and his father are out fishing off the coast of Panama. And with the most incredible – sorry it sounds so positive – stroke of bad luck, the 600-lb Marlin on the 18-year-old’s fishing line managed to jump out of the water with its 2-foot bill headed right into the boy’s mouth. Is that absolutely ridiculous, or what? For the split second that he had his mouth open in amazement at the jump, the Marlin’s bill goes right in, slices the back of his throat, breaks his nasal cavity, and rips his cheek.

And you think you have problems.

What amazed me the most was that all of the people on the show managed to survive; I figure they would not send in the home videos otherwise. It would probably be a bit painful, don’t you think?

Anyway, in the midst of the specifically ocean-based episodes, I made note of the jobs. I always wondered how I could incorporate my love for the sea with making money; strange that after watching such a tragic show, I would still take interest in it. But, an underwater videographer? That tickles my fancy!

Here is where I explain that I LOVE the water. I learned to swim when I was 2 year’s old. My mother decided, you either sink or swim – literally – and she threw me in the pool. Well, needless to say, I swam and continued to swim. I swam for my high school and I played water polo – I was on the county’s all-star team. Even though I don’t swim or play polo for my University, I never give up on my love for the water. I am really going to sit down and ponder on this “underwater videographer” thing. But, that is enough about me. Let’s talk about what I learned today.

Don’t feed wild animals.
Don’t put your hand in a crocodile’s mouth.
Don’t put your hand in a shark’s mouth.
Don’t put your head in an alligator’s mouth
DON’T PUT ANY BODY PART IN AN ANIMAL’S MOUTH. (Common sense is not very common.)

But on to more factual information:

A shark needs to swim to breathe.
Orca’s are not whales, and they are known as the wolves of the sea because of how they work together to get prey – they are very intelligent.
Moray eels have 2 jaws and poor eyesight.
Mako Sharks have the ability to store oxygen in their blood vessels.
Anti-venom can save your life after a poisonous snake bite – but make sure the hospital you go to has it, because not all hospitals do.
Great white’s do not work together to get prey, and when they do attack, they close their eyes.
You can replace a missing finger with a toe. (Weird isn’t it?)
A raging and petrified bull can jump over a 5-foot fence right into the crowd of people at an arena.
Well, that is all for now. New season starts tomorrow at 9. I think I just might tune in.