NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� If you think you're safe avoiding sharks by simply staying out of the water, think again.
A few species of epaulette sharks have evolved to move their pectoral fins in the front and pelvic fins in the back to plod along outside the water at low tide. Just to be perfectly clear: That's on land.
Relax, none are going to chase you home. They're just wriggling.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not sprinting. There are no ankle-biters coming to get anybody. It鈥檚 just this fascinating behavior taking place,鈥� says wildlife conservationist and biologist Forrest Galante.
So-called walking sharks of Papua New Guinea are among the stars of this year鈥檚 with 25 hours of programming dedicated to all varieties of the apex predators on the Discovery Channel and streaming on discovery+ starting Sunday.
Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson will be the week's recurring master of ceremonies 鈥� a first such role in the 34 years of Shark Week. Celebrities with shows include the stars of truTV鈥檚 鈥淚mpractical Jokers,鈥� the cast of 鈥淛ackass鈥� and comedian Tracy Morgan making his Shark Week debut.
Morgan teams up with shark experts 鈥� including his 9-year-old shark-crazy daughter, Maven Sonae, who has a 20,000-gallon fish tank in her backyard 鈥� to identify the craziest and most ferocious in the ocean. 鈥淪he鈥檚 my best co-star ever,鈥� says Morgan. 鈥淪he鈥檚 always been into marine life since she was a baby.鈥�
The programing includes a look at giant makos off the Azores, great whites off Cape Cod and in South Africa, hammerheads in The Bahamas, mysterious cold-water sharks in Alaska and tiger sharks in Turks and Caicos.
As always, there is a deep respect for the creatures and strong science beneath the amusing titles and premises, like 鈥淛aws vs Kraken,鈥� "Dawn of the Monster Mako鈥� and "Great White Serial Kill: Fatal Christmas.鈥�
鈥淪harks are an incredibly vital part of our ocean. And as a scientist and science communicator, I want to do everything in my power to spread what wonderful, interesting and unique creatures they are and how important the protection of these creatures is,鈥� says Galante, whose show "Island of Walking Sharks鈥� airs Wednesday.
One of the more spectacular sights is never-before-seen footage of a pack of orcas killing a great white off the coast of South Africa. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just such an incredible but very sinister and worrying set of events,鈥� said Alison Towner, a marine biologist at the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to really blow the world's mind.鈥�
Towner is also part of the all-female led show 鈥淪hark Women: Ghosted by Great Whites,鈥� which tries to unravel the mystery of why great white populations are thinning and highlights Zandile Ndhlovu, South Africa鈥檚 first Black African free diving instructor.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be honest, there鈥檚 a lot of men on Shark Week. And not every demographic has always been represented. She comes in as this authentic South African woman and she鈥檚 given this opportunity, and that to me is a really important part of the show," she says.
There's also a new entry in the 鈥淎ir Jaws" series of airborne great whites. 鈥淎ir Jaws: Top Guns鈥� is the 15th show featuring the ancient beasts jumping out of the water to attack their prey or a decoy.
鈥淲hat I try to do with 鈥楢ir Jaws鈥� is give people just an appreciation of these animals," says veteran filmmaker Jeff Kurr. "You just fall in love with these sharks because they鈥檙e so beautiful, and what they do is so incredible.鈥�
Kurr also submitted the 90-minute documentary 鈥淕reat White Open Ocean,鈥� which centers on shark diving expert Jimi Partington as he works to overcome the post-traumatic stress disorder he developed following a recorded, near-fatal run-in with a great white shark in 2020.
鈥淲e captured a sequence where he was actually hit by a 16-foot great white, knocked into the air 鈥� the shark with its mouth agape, literally an inch away from him 鈥� and somehow he survived this without a scratch,鈥� says Kurr. 鈥淪till when I watch it, I get heart palpitations. I was there. I was standing there watching it happen and I thought he was dead.鈥�
Discovery鈥檚 鈥淪hark Week鈥� has a rival 鈥� its programming coincides with National Geographic鈥檚 鈥淪harkFest,鈥� which has almost 30 hours of new content. But this year marks the first Shark Week since the creation of the media giant Warner Bros. Discovery, which can leverage offerings across its diverse assets, including HGTV, the Food Network, TBS, TLC, CNN, HBO and HBO Max.
Nancy Daniels, chief of content at TBS, TNT and Discovery called Shark Week a 鈥渉uge pop culture event鈥� and 鈥渢he tentpole of the summer.鈥� This year鈥檚 programming is 鈥渁 big moment for us as a company to show what we can do and a strength of who we are now as Warner Bros. Discovery.鈥�
The Food Network is getting into the act with recipes for Shark Banana Pops, a Shark Diorama Cake and No-Churn Shark Ice Cream. CNN will re-air 鈥淕reat White Open Ocean.鈥� TBS will have shark cage match wrestling, and on TNT, viewers can watch a Shark Week-themed monster movie marathon. There are even two shark-shaped blimps flying on either coast.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege to work on something that speaks to so many people in slightly different ways,鈥� says Josh Kovolenko, senior vice president of marketing at Discovery. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a conservation fan, if you鈥檙e into the science, if you鈥檙e into just the pop culture and want to be part of something that everyone鈥檚 talking about, a summer phenomenon, we have that for you.鈥�
Shark Week was born as a counterpoint for those who developed a fear of sharks and a desire to eradicate them after seeing 鈥淛aws.鈥� It has emerged as a destination for scientists eager to protect an animal older than trees.
"Shark Week allows me to share my work on these amazing stories with millions of people," says Galante. 鈥淚 want millions of people to fall in love with sharks. And that鈥檚 what Shark Week allows me to do year after year.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
