Dolphin spotted in Old Bridge, NJ

[RU4Real]

Lol, seriously? Not to bust your chops but you're nitpicking and playing with word semantics.

It's not "nitpicking". It's pointing out that the description of the book on Amazon contains incorrect information. If the details in that description were pulled from the actual book (as such things often are), then the book is wrong. This would suggest a lack of research with regard to the actual event. It's the sort of thing a critical reader would be looking for.

It's the difference between reading something and saying, "Wow, cool, I believe that because it's printed in a book" and saying, "This doesn't seem right, let me take a closer look at it."

Different levels.

 

[Ronnie_B]

It's not "nitpicking". It's pointing out that the description of the book on Amazon contains incorrect information. If the details in that description were pulled from the actual book (as such things often are), then the book is wrong. This would suggest a lack of research with regard to the actual event. It's the sort of thing a critical reader would be looking for.

It's the difference between reading something and saying, "Wow, cool, I believe that because it's printed in a book" and saying, "This doesn't seem right, let me take a closer look at it."

Different levels.

Yeah, it is nitpicking and quite frankly it's ridiculous to question the accuracy of the book based off their use of one word, and we don't even know who wrote it. There is "critical reader" and then there is "over-critical reader", and you're fitting the latter.

 

[RU4Real]

Yeah, it is nitpicking and quite frankly it's ridiculous to question the accuracy of the book based off their use of one word, and we don't even know who wrote it. There is "critical reader" and then there is "over-critical reader", and you're fitting the latter.

You're entitled to your opinion.

That doesn't make the sentence less wrong.

 

[RUtix4me]

But your concern is that it is "11 miles inland from the open ocean". That statement is not incorrect. It may not be worded the way you like it. But Matawan is 11 miles inland from the open ocean.

 

[Blitz8RUCrazy]

 

[RUtix4me]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matawan,_New_Jersey

It says 11 miles in wiki so it must be true

 

[RU4Real]

But your concern is that it is "11 miles inland from the open ocean". That statement is not incorrect. It may not be worded the way you like it. But Matawan is 11 miles inland from the open ocean.

Yeah, so... no.

Here's the passage from the Amazon description:

"In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland-the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history."

The italics are theirs.

Matawan may be, as Weird NJ says in its own write-up, 11 miles from the open ocean, but it is NOT, as is plainly said here, "eleven miles inland".

Furthermore, as has already been mentioned in this thread, there's no proof that the shark in question was a Great White, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest it was not.

 

[MADHAT1]

I found this, though can't say how accurate it is:
The Matawan Man-eater: The Real New Jersey “Jaws” of 1916 | Weird NJ
>Thirty miles farther north, residents of Matawan, a small town 11 miles inland from the open ocean, naturally felt that they were safe from attacks. Swimmers here were confined to the Matawan Creek, a narrow tidal creek that wound its way to the bay.<
>Back on the coast the greatest shark hunt in the state’s history was under way. Although no one knew the species, or its size, blind retribution would be swift. Hundreds of sharks were caught and slaughtered.
Shortly after the attack Michael Slicher, a coastal fisherman, captured the man-eater just outside a creek at the Raritan Bay. It was an eight and a half foot Great White*, and when dissected, 15 pounds of various human remains were allegedly discovered in its stomach. <
edit: >(*Many experts now dispute the original reports of the rogue shark being a Great White and believe the killer was more likely a Bull Shark.)<
http://weirdnj.com/stories/matawan-man-eater/

 

[RU4Real]

I found this, though can't say how accurate it is:
The Matawan Man-eater: The Real New Jersey “Jaws” of 1916 | Weird NJ
>Thirty miles farther north, residents of Matawan, a small town 11 miles inland from the open ocean, naturally felt that they were safe from attacks. Swimmers here were confined to the Matawan Creek, a narrow tidal creek that wound its way to the bay.<
>Back on the coast the greatest shark hunt in the state’s history was under way. Although no one knew the species, or its size, blind retribution would be swift. Hundreds of sharks were caught and slaughtered.
Shortly after the attack Michael Slicher, a coastal fisherman, captured the man-eater just outside a creek at the Raritan Bay. It was an eight and a half foot Great White*, and when dissected, 15 pounds of various human remains were allegedly discovered in its stomach. <
edit: >(*Many experts now dispute the original reports of the rogue shark being a Great White and believe the killer was more likely a Bull Shark.)<
http://weirdnj.com/stories/matawan-man-eater/

The idea that the Matawan Creek shark was a Great White has always bordered on the absurd.

Great White sharks aren't known to territorialize fresh or brackish waters, like Bull sharks are. The reason is pretty simple. Great Whites are ambush predators which mainly target prey like seals, sea lions and large fish such as tuna. They rely on their eyesight to track their prey and execute an attack, and have comparatively large eyes adapted to just that purpose. A Great White wouldn't be able to see in the waters of Matawan Creek and so would effectively be fighting blind and totally outside of its natural inclination.

Bull sharks, on the other hand, are opportunistic predators that inhabit primarily shallow waters along the coast and are well known to frequent brackish and even fresh water. The bayous of the Mississippi Delta are lousy with them. They don't rely on their eyesight to track their prey; they simply swim along the bottom waiting to detect something moving nearby, then they bite it. It's for this reason that the overwhelming majority of shark attacks along the U.S. coasts are the work of Bull sharks.

Then, of course, there's the famous picture. The approximately 300 lb. shark captured in Raritan Bay immediately after the attacks in Matawan, the shark alleged to have contained 15 lbs. of human remains, clearly isn't a Great White. Visual evidence aside, the claim that the captured shark was a Great White is further complicated by its size. The claim is that it weighed 300 lbs., which per the image appears to have been exaggerated. Great White sharks are born live and are about 5 feet long at birth. If you believe that the shark in the picture is a Great White, it would have to be no more than two years old - and juvenile Great Whites simply aren't found in this part of the Atlantic.

 

[RU848789]

Yeah, so... no.

Here's the passage from the Amazon description:

"In July 1916 a lone Great White left its usual deep-ocean habitat and headed in the direction of the New Jersey shoreline. There, near the towns of Beach Haven and Spring Lake-and, incredibly, a farming community eleven miles inland-the most ferocious and unpredictable of predators began a deadly rampage: the first shark attacks on swimmers in U.S. history."

The italics are theirs.

Matawan may be, as Weird NJ says in its own write-up, 11 miles from the open ocean, but it is NOT, as is plainly said here, "eleven miles inland".

Furthermore, as has already been mentioned in this thread, there's no proof that the shark in question was a Great White, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest it was not.

First off, I completely agree with your earlier post about the importance of the sighting being only a mile upstream from where a shark might normally be, i.e., in Raritan Bay. The 11 miles inland comment makes it seem like the shark swam 11 miles from its normal habitat to where it was observed, which is completely misleading and incorrect.

Having said that, I wouldn't say the book's description of Matawan being 11 miles inland is wrong, per se, it's just very poorly worded, which leads to confusion. Matawan is 11 miles inland from the open ocean, directly to the east, but if that was their intent (and I think it was, given that they were comparing Matawan to towns on the ocean shore in the same sentence), they should've said "11 miles inland from the open ocean" and not just "11 miles inland." Whether "wrong" or "misleading" it certainly leads any critical reader to question the accuracy of the author.

 

[saran]

Hope no dentists get him

 

[ScarletCrimson]

so what happened to the dolphin?

 

[Local Shill]

There were still hundreds of people milling around on the bridge there last night. Plenty of police keeping a watchful eye on the curious onlookers.
People were parking at an elementary school and then walking a half-mile up the road because the cops wouldn't let any more cars through.

 

[BeKnighted]

As someone who grew up in Matawan, I love this discussion. My two cents:

1. This is the coolest thing about Matawan by a very wide margin. (Being the home of Philip Freneau, poet of the Revolution, is not nearly as cool.)

2. Matawan Creek is not a little tiny creek by any stretch of the imagination. It's 50-100 feet wide most of its length, and much wider where it empties into Raritan Bay. It's also tidal pretty far up, although not quite as far as the attack that was furthest from land.

3. While people mostly don't think of Matawan as on the water, there is part of the town that used to be a resort (Cliffwood Beach). (Yes, technically I know that's part of Aberdeen Township, but it's still Matawan to me, even close to 40 years later.)

 

[e5fdny]

Just a FYI...the first mission of the FDNY Shark Team was a sail/cruise up Matawan Creek.

 

[R1766U]

What is the FDNY shark team?

 

[MoreCowbellRU]

As someone who grew up in Matawan, I love this discussion. My two cents:

1. This is the coolest thing about Matawan by a very wide margin. (Being the home of Philip Freneau, poet of the Revolution, is not nearly as cool.)

2. Matawan Creek is not a little tiny creek by any stretch of the imagination. It's 50-100 feet wide most of its length, and much wider where it empties into Raritan Bay. It's also tidal pretty far up, although not quite as far as the attack that was furthest from land.

3. While people mostly don't think of Matawan as on the water, there is part of the town that used to be a resort (Cliffwood Beach). (Yes, technically I know that's part of Aberdeen Township, but it's still Matawan to me, even close to 40 years later.)

Having grown up in the area myself like Knighted and spending many many days and nights on the bay and in those creeks it is not a stretch to believe good sized dolphins and sharks venture in from the ocean to explore. I have seen dolphins myself (2x) in Matawan creek. Just about a month ago I saw a group of about 6 just off UB/Keansburg on a cruise with a friend to the boat parade in the Navesink.

Fresh or brackish is not an issue in the marshes and creeks around here. Ask anyone who has unfortunately gotten a mouth full. It is surely as salty as the bay itself under normal circumstances. After a heavy rain? Maybe a little less so from run off. Way up rivers like the Raritan by the Turnpike bridge you start to notice it more.

If any of you have not seen the video on youtube with the black lady talking about the rash of shark attacks it is must see. You will piss ur pants laughing. She is awesome. "If you go in 'dey house, you could get ate. A chicken comes in my house? It's on the plate!" If I knew how to link it I would.

 

[ClassOf02]

so what happened to the dolphin?

Apparently he died today. Experts think he had entered the river to find a spot to die. Shame.

 

[ScarletCrimson]

Thanks for the update- albeit the sad ending.

Apparently he died today. Experts think he had entered the river to find a spot to die. Shame.

 

[RUforester72]

Mahi mahi.

 

[Knight Shift]

Apparently he died today. Experts think he had entered the river to find a spot to die. Shame.

Where was Gov. Christie during this? Did he do anything to try to save the dolphin, instead of being out of state campaigning?
#dolphinlivesmatter

 

[ScarletCrimson]

Well, at least the dolphin thread was immune to "this" for a few days...

Where was Gov. Christie during this? Did he do anything to try to save the dolphin, instead of being out of state campaigning?
#dolphinlivesmatter