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A Better Way to Talk About Sharks with Dr Catherine MacDonald

Published on: 14th August, 2020

It's #SharkWeek2020...and it is easily one of the best examples of a massive divide in how the general public sees an animal compared to how experts see and talk about them. Science Twitter is a buzz with fact checking, jokes, and outright facepalming while Mike Tyson rumbles on the reef with Jaws and entertainment programs portray sharks as serial killers of the deep. That isn't the only dark side of all of this either. We talk about some of those things throughout this episode, but mostly we dispell some myths and mistruths while learning about what makes sharks so amazing!

We talk shark diversity, finning, bad movies, mermaid purses, why not to chase sharks, and so much more!

Learn more about today's guest at https://www.drcatherinemacdonald.com/

Follow her on Twitter @dr_catmac

Read her Op-Ed in Scientific American at https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/

Read the mentioned Forbes article by Melissa Cristina Marquez, based on research by herself, Dr David Shiffman, and Dr Catherine MacDonald at https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2020/08/12/inaccurate-and-biased-global-media-coverage-is-a-threat-to-sustainable-shark-conservation/#7c4a19193fc1

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About the Podcast

The Wild Life
A show about the wonder and wildness of life, following the threads that connect us to the natural world.
An optimistic, curiosity-chasing show about the wonder and wildness of life, following the threads that connect us to the natural world. The Wild Life is, always has been, and always will be a show about the diversity of life within the animal kingdom, but it's about more than that. It's about connections. It's about how the natural world inspires our culture, movies, and technologies. It's about the patterns that persist throughout not just life, but the universe itself. It's about us.
The Wild Life is a place for the curious, the adventurous, the hopeful, and the hopeless to discover the natural world through unique perspectives. Between the blog and podcasts, The Wild Life seeks to bring the traditional naturalist experience into the 21st century by merging immersive storytelling and foley art with technology and creative experiences. It’s an exploration of truth, common ground, and shared places as we attempt to fill each episode with wonder, connectedness, intrigue, and humor.

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