Whale shark photo recreates classic Jaws poster pose

This amazing shot of a magnificent whale shark underneath a boat has real echoes of the poster for Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

Instead of the shark underneath Chrissie Watkins this shark, at up to lengths of 39 feet is the largest in the world, is beneath a boat, at first glance suggesting that they may need a bigger one.

Not that whale sharks are dangerous, quite the opposite in fact. Like the second largest shark in the world, the basking shark, both are plankton eaters so aren't going to even attempt doing anything like what unfolded in Amity Island.

It is a crying shame then that rather than being in awe of this wonderous fish that the likes of The Daily Mirror chose to run with the misguided headline of "Terrifying photo of shark lurking under boat looks exactly like iconic Jaws movie poster."

And despite them pointing out later that the shark only eats plankton, that's not before they throw in "thankfully the shark...simply lurked beneath the waves rather than attacking the boat as it passed."

Honestly, they can't help themselves can they? For the sake of click baits media continue to tarnish the reputation of and peddle the terrifying mantra. It really is getting beyond tiresome, not just for sharks, but for not actually treating us readers with some respect.

This isn't Jaws, and despite its size and name, it isn't The Meg either. The image was taken by wildlife photographer Alex Kyddin in the Ningaloo Reef off the west coast of Australia.

Alex isn't the only person to capture sharks in that classic Jaws poster poster, which was created by Roger Kastel. Last year we had Nicole the great white, and before that Squirrel.

If you don’t remember their names, you’ll certainly remember their images.

Words by Dean Newman

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