Sharks in Popular Culture

Sharks in Popular Culture

There are plenty of references out there to sharks in popular culture.


Hawaiian Culture

The people of Hawaii are the biggest believers in them. To this culture, the shark is a powerful force that deserves to be protected. There are many stories and legends among their people that involve sharks. In many of them sharks are gods that protected the people of Hawaii. These stories continue to be passed down to the new generations.

Japanese Culture

In Japan, the shark is portrayed in their stories as a monster that will destroy those that don’t follow the right path. It is believed that the shark will consume the souls of the lost people. These types of stories are believed to be designed to get younger generations of Japanese people to follow the way of the people without questioning them.

Sharks in Books

There are plenty of wonderful books out there about sharks too. Some of them are stories with sharks as fun characters in them. Others are more realistic about the actual species of sharks. Look for those that offer lots of pictures so that you get a good idea of what is being described. Books are a great way to increase your knowledge about sharks.

Sharks in Movies

Perhaps the most famous reflection of sharks out there is the movie Jaws from the 1970’s. Many sequels have been made to it as well. This particular film brought the shark into the spotlight for the first time in the minds of many people. However, these movies also evoked terror among people. Many people say they never have gone back into the ocean after watching the original Jaws movie!

Even for such an early film, Jaws made the shark appear to be very realistic. It was actually an animated device though and not real sharks. Yet they made the images of what a real shark would look like real enough back then for people to transpose the actions of them onto actual sharks.

Since then though some other great shows have come out that show sharks in a better light. For example there is one in finding Nemo that is trying to be helpful and to change the view others in the water have of him. He doesn’t want to be seen as a threat or a predator anymore.

In the fun film Shark Tales, a young shark is embarrassed for his family to find out he doesn’t care to eat meat. He is a vegetarian. It is a great film about being who you are and not what other people expect you to be. It is one that both parents and children find to be enjoyable.

Not all films about sharks though are fiction. Some of them are amazing documentaries that bring us closer to shark life than we will ever experience in person. It is a good idea to find out what a specific one is about before you buy it. Some of them focus on shark attacks while others focus on reproduction and feeding habits. Some of them are overviews of sharks but most are species specific.

Sharks have been on Earth for more than 450 million years, so their legends continue to take us by surprise. If you haven’t heard some of the early stories in culture then find materials about them. You can even find information online. Make sure you explore shark materials from many points of view as well.

This is important as a particular piece of information may focus only on shark attacks. This puts them in a much different light than the information that shows them fighting for their own survival in the water or elaborating about their migration process.