How Small are We?

I love seeing photos with a scale difference that almost seems surreal or nightmarishly astounding. I hate to see a beautiful and old animal taken from the sea, but it's also an amazing thing to witness.

Two summers ago when I was working for Jenkinsons Aquarium, I following staff outside onto the beach to investigate a leatherback seaturtle that had washed up. We worked as a team to measure the dead animal, but I found myself stepping back at times to understand how such an enormous animal had probably been swimming right along the coast.   It was heartbreaking that such an old animal was laying there lifeless but it was an amazing specimen to observe.

As a child I used to read many books on sharks and the vintage photos of the fisherman with his prize shark.  It's easy to be in awe but it is important not to forget that these beautiful animals have been around since before the dinosaurs walked the earth. This culture supports tournaments to pursuade people to gain a large cash prize for killing the largest shark. Perhaps this is why animals don't grow to be this big. Look at where the photo was taken.