Hollywood's favorite monster Expert: "The shark is a simple villain"
Hollywood has made a decisive contribution to portraying sharks as bloodthirsty monsters. This portrayal has had a lasting impact on the image of these sea creatures. A shark biologist explains.
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- In Hollywood, the shark is portrayed in films as a brutal and bloodthirsty killer, for example in the movie "Meg 2".
- Vital Heim researches the sea creatures.
- The Hollywood image does not do the shark justice, he says.
The reputation of the bloodthirsty killer does not do the shark justice, says Vital Heim. He has been researching the animals for years and is currently writing his doctoral thesis on them at the University of Basel.
"Hollywood has realized that the shark is a simple villain," says Heim. This certainly has something to do with its appearance. You can see the big black eyes and the many sharp teeth.
And it was precisely this potential that the filmmakers recognized back in 1975 when they made the film "Jaws". Steven Spielberg created a blockbuster that permanently changed the image of the shark. The fear of the depths of the ocean was given a face: the myth of the bloodthirsty killer that deliberately hunts humans was born.
Vital Heim
Vital Heim grew up in the Bernese Oberland. He discovered his passion for the ocean and sea creatures at an early age. Even in kindergarten, he knew that he wanted to study sharks later on. Today he is realizing his dream. He is writing his doctoral thesis at the University of Basel and is devoting himself with great dedication to his research project in the US Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
This was followed by numerous films and parodies that cast the image of sharks in a bad light. This does not do the sharks justice at all, but the films are still entertaining, explains Vital Heim.
"Meg 2" killer shark is not realistic
Just recently, "Meg 2 - The Deep", in which giant sharks make the beaches unsafe, was released in cinemas. Several megalodons leave their habitat near the seabed and hunt humans indiscriminately. It is obvious that the movie is not based on facts: the megalodon became extinct around three million years ago.
"Sharks are not stupid"
Once again, the shark is portrayed as a stupid and emotionless killer. The shark biologist adds: "But sharks are not stupid and only hunt, they are actually very intelligent. Sharks have a learning ability similar to that of mammals. They have a memory and can learn," says Heim.
There are also different personality types among sharks. Some are rather shy, others more courageous. Sharks even have social preferences and these can remain stable over years. Sharks have important regulatory and stabilizing functions for the marine ecosystem.
Attacks on humans are very rare, although millions of people swim in the sea every day. Many encounters with sharks are peaceful.
By the way: Steven Spielberg of all people, who gave sharks a bad image in Hollywood, regretted in an interview that the shark population has declined so sharply in recent years.
