FEMALES**

"Rope"
Rope was a small female, 1.5m/5ft, who was a regular on The Big Fish Encounter back in 2002. She appeared one day with a length of rope wrapped tightly around her tail, a memento from a hard fought battle with a fisherman. With the rope constricting her tail growth and movement, she was observed getting slowly weaker and weaker. Rope has not been seen since January 2004?.

"Kinky"
Another of the regular visitors to the Big Fish Encounter, Kinky is easily identified by a large kink in the front of her dorsal fin. She started by only taking scraps from the bottom and now has quite a special relationship with the feeders. It seems that she is actually quite a fussy eater and has spat out frozen fish, preferring to wait for the defrosted, warmer fish later in the dive! - July 2003

"Stumpy"
Terminal lobe of caudal fin missing.
Coming in at 2.5m/8ft, Stumpy is quite a large Bull. With her cut off 'stumpy tail' making her easily identifiable from a distance, she is one of the most self assured and relaxed sharks at the feed. The feeders describe her as "quite sweet really" - July 2003

"Big Mama"
Very large; posterior margin of 1st dorsal fin cut and ragged, apex cut with cut slanting forward. Right hand corner of mouth crooked.
Measuring a whopping 3m/10ft, Big Mama certainly lives up to her name and with her classic Bull Shark profile; big beefy and round, nobody misses her at the Big Fish Encounter.

"Cilla"
Right pelvic fin cut in half horizontally
Originally called 'Elvis the Pelvis' due to a severed right pelvic fin, Elvis was then seen to be a girl and named 'Priscilla' which the feeders immediately shortened to Cilla. She is very timid and has yet to take food from the feeders, preferring to feed off the bottom at her own pace - July 2003

"Annie"
Tip (half) of anal fin cut horizontally.
Annie is a medium sized Bull at 1.8m/6ft easily distinguished by her severed anal fin. She is a regular at the Big Fish Encounter, although she has yet to take any food at all! During the Bull Shark Tagging Project in September 2004, Annie was one of the individuals tagged and can now be identified by her coloured tag; GREEN/RED/YELLOW - July 2003

"Crook"
Second only to Big Mamma in size, Crook is described by the feeders as "one of the coolest sharks around". She is about 3m/10ft long, quite often dragging long lines of fishing tackle around; with a crooked smile caused by fish hook damage. Crook was seen to be pregnant in January 2004 and should deliver her pups in early 2005 - June 2003

"Hook"
Named due to the large fish hook lodged in the right side of her mouth many years ago. Over time, the feeder and scientists have observed the hook slowly move outwards with her teeth and eventually be expelled. This made identifying her a little tricky for a while, now she is recognized by her dorsal fin being cut at a slanted angle - July 2003

"Crush"
Apex of right pectoral fin folded downwards - January 2003

"Bum"
Anal fin curled to the right - July 2003

"Flop"
Terminal lobe of caudal fin slightly bent to the left - January 2004

"Granma"
Both corners of mouth crooked (right hand side with distinctive long vertical cut). Bad right eye. Very long pectoral fins; right pectoral fin with upward swing - January 2004

"Grin"
Right corner of mouth crooked - March 2004

"Rip"
Rip on posterior margin of 1st dorsal fin - September 2004

"Tipper"
Tip of terminal lobe of caudal fin folded over to the right - before March 2006

"Hotlips"
White horizontal bulge on right hand upper and frontal labrial furrow. Scar-like narrow band extending down across lower jaw, starting below the white bulge - March 2006

"Second"
Apex of 2nd dorsal fin cut horizontally - August 2006

"Alexis"
Missing 2nd dorsal fin - January 2007

"Chica"
Right upper corner of mouth with narrow bulge protruding forward - January 2007

"Elvira"
Left pelvic fin cut in half horizontally - January 2007

"Detour"
Posterior margin of 1st dorsal fin curving inwards, then outwards, then back inwards (a "detour")

"Valerie"
Tip of left pectoral fin bent/pointing downwards

"Topsail"
Upper half of 1st dorsal fin missing, horizontal bulge below cut - October 2007

"Topsail"

"Rusty"
Rusty coloured dot on right corner of mouth; apex of 1st dorsal fin rounded

"Rusty"

"Line"
Apex of 1st dorsal fin cut, cut presents a vertical notch at center of anterior margin - January 2008

"Bumphead"

"Scarry"
Narrow scars extending down and posteriorly from both corners of mouth. Left hand scar curving upwards at the end - January 2008

"Scarry"

"Gash" (Scar)
Vertical scar on the right body side below 1st dorsal fin, bright white eyes - January 2008

"Missy"
Ventral lobe of caudal fin missing - February 2008

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"Curly"

"Maite"
Apex of second dorsal fin curled to the left

"Pointer"
Apex of first dorsal fin with distinctive sickle-shaped point - February 2009

"Blunt"
Apex of both pectoral fins blunted - February 2009

"Marlen"

"Twist"
Free rear tip of first dorsal fin twisted - March 2009

"Twist"

"Sickle"
Small. Characteristic short and sickle-shaped first dorsal - March 2009

"Sickle"

"Moana"
Large. Left hand corner of mouth deeply crooked, right hand corner mildly crooked - March 2009

"Tip"
Small portion of tip of apex of first dorsal fin chipped and bent to the right; rounded first and second dorsal fins, terminal lobe lobe of dorsal fin blunted - March 2009

"Tip"

"Dash"

Dash-like cut halfway up posterior margin of first dorsal fin, short piece of fishing leader protruding downwards from left corner of mouth - March 2009

"Dash"

"Liz "

Collar-like mark extends halfway across lower body starting from first gill slit on the right-hand side - March 2009

"Liz"

"Scabby"

Diagonal row of pale blotches (=scabs) above axil of right-hand pectoral fin, end of thick fishing line protruding from below left-hand corner of mouth - March 2009

"Scabby"

"Nani"

Large. Right-hand corner of mouth with deep, long vertical incision, apex of right pectoral fin bent upwards at a 90 degree angle - June 2009

"Nani"

"Trevally"

Large. Keel-like protuberance on right-hand ventral lobe of caudal fin just below caudal peduncle - June 2009

"Trevally"

"Noodles"

Noodle-like thick fishing line protruding from below right-hand side of mouth - June 2009

"Noodles"

"Shorty"

Free rear tip of first dorsal fin cut- - June 2009

"Shorty"

"Tipless"

Upper quarter of dorsal lobe of caudal fin missing - June 2009

"Tipless"

"Tail"

Terminal lobe lobe of caudal fin loose and slanted to the left - July 2009

"Helen"

Mole-like circular scar at right-hand corner of mouth - July 2009

"Helen"

"Gill"

Notable wide wound on first right-hand gill slit - August 2009

"Gill"

"Lill"

Small, horizontal notch in lower postventral margin of caudal fin (ventral lobe) - August 2009

"Lill"

"Miss America"

Half of dorsal lobe of caudal fin missing, anal fin atrophized - August 2009

"Miss America"

"Wave"

Characteristic bulge (=wave) on posterior edge of ventral lobe of caudal fin - August 2009

"Wave"

"Trigger"

Anal fin hooked, apex pointing slightly upwards - September 2009

"Trigger"

"Junior"

Small, anal fin atrophized - September 2009

"Junior"

"Naughtylus"

Huge. Right hand corner of mouth slightly crooked, small hooks in each corner of mouth, posterior edge of apex of first dorsal fin slightly notched - September 2009

"Naughtylus"

"Dimple"
September 2009

"Dimple"

"Fold"

Ventral lobe of caudal fin folded to the left, small protrusion facing backwards from basis of dorsal lobe of caudal fin - September 2009

"Fold"

"Strangle"
Rope around body behind gills - October 2009

"Strangle"

"Jennifer"

Small Female with wound on lower jaw (right side) - November 2009

"Jennifer"

"Bling"

Dislocated lower jaw - November 2009

"Bling"

"Nick"

Missing chunk on posterior margin of first dorsal fin, bad left eye - November 2009

"Nick"

"Mi"

Posterior edge at the base of the 2nd dorsal fin cut at a 45 degree angle - December 2009

"Mi"

"Axil"

Missing chunk on posterior margin of right pectoral fin - January 2010

"Pecker"

Tip of right pectoral fin creased and folded - January 2010

"Pecker"

"Snip"

Missing chunk on upper postventral margin (caudal fin) and snipped left pelvic fin and 2nd dorsal - January 2010

"Snip"

"Moon"

January 2010

"Moon"

"Mrs. Jaws"

Left hand lower Jaw broken, teeth exposed - January 2010

"Mrs Jaws"

"Shredder"
Terminal edge of first dorsal fin shredded - January 2010

"Shredder"

"Ms Big"   

Very large, free rear tip of first dorsal fin with thin appendix - February 2010

"Ms Big"

"Anchor"

Anchor and part of tether from tagging on right side just below 1st dorsal fin - February 2010

"Lefty"
Apex of right hand pectoral fin cut - March 2010

"Lefty"

"Corners"
Anal fin cut vertically and horizontally, edges at a 90 degree angle - May 2010

"Corners"

"Funnygirl"
First dorsal fin slightly stunted with small tip protruding backwards - May 2010

"Funnygirl"

"Parallel"
Two parallel transversal stripes on right pectoral fin - June 2010

"Parallel"

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"MALES**

"Jaws"
Jaws is a very special shark to everyone, but especially the feeders. He arrived at the Big Fish Encounter looking very thin and with his flesh hanging from his body. The left hand side of his jaw was hanging open, almost completely severed, presumably from a battle with fishing tackle. The feeders worked with him and Jaws is now a healthy male, 1.5m/5ft long with a very gentle and easy going manner, although his jaw still hangs open on the left hand side and he can only feed with the right hand side of his mouth.

"Whitenose"

"Amsterdam"

Highly contrasting delimitation between dark dorsal and light ventral colouration. Dark blotch at centre of ventral side of snout and one dark central blotch situated ventrally in line with the posterior edge of the pectoral fins - January 2007

"Amsterdam"

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