Shark Attack Test- Human Blood vs. Fish Blood

Summary

In a daring experiment, the creator of this video script delves into shark behavior, debunking myths about their response to human blood. After testing sharks' reactions to human and fish blood, he orchestrates a feeding frenzy in a human-shaped shark cage during Discovery's Shark Week. Despite initial setbacks, including a positive COVID-19 test, he successfully executes his plan, experiencing an adrenaline-pumping encounter with sharks firsthand. The experiment reveals sharks' strong attraction to fish blood, offering a unique perspective on their predatory instincts.

Takeaways

• 🔬 The script describes an experiment designed to test sharks' reactions to human and fish blood, challenging the myth of sharks being attracted to human blood from a distance.
• 🤿 The narrator built a human-shaped shark cage to be in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy, noting that sharks were actually inside the cage, contrary to its purpose.
• 📈 A previous experiment involved pumping human blood into the water, which did not attract sharks significantly, suggesting that sharks are not as aggressive as portrayed in movies.
• 🐟 The narrator's curiosity led to a second experiment comparing the sharks' reactions to fish blood versus human blood, aiming to create a feeding frenzy.
• 🌴 The experiment took place in The Bahamas during Shark Week, with the help of Discovery and other collaborators.
• 🛫 Due to a positive COVID-19 test, the narrator had to find a workaround to travel to The Bahamas via a private jet, highlighting the challenges faced to conduct the experiment.
• 🌳 The narrator offset the carbon footprint of the flight by planting trees through teamtrees.org, demonstrating environmental responsibility.
• 💉 The team faced difficulties in obtaining human blood legally, opting to use cow's blood instead, which was confirmed by shark scientists to have the same effect on sharks.
• 🧪 The experiment involved placing surfboards with different types of blood in the ocean and observing shark behavior, with fish blood attracting the most sharks.
• 🦈 The results showed a stark difference in shark attraction, with fish blood drawing significantly more sharks than mammal blood or seawater control.
• 📊 The experiment concluded that sharks are more attracted to fish blood, leading to the creation of a feeding frenzy with the narrator in a shark cage as the finale.
• 🏝️ The script ends with a reflection on the experience, emphasizing the evolutionary instincts of sharks and the unique perspective gained by being in their environment.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the human-shaped shark cage designed by the speaker?

The human-shaped shark cage was designed to place the speaker in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy to observe shark behavior up close, although it was noted that the cage did not keep the sharks out as they entered the cage itself.

What myth did the speaker initially attempt to test with his experiment involving human blood in the water?

The speaker aimed to test the myth that sharks become crazed and ruthless killers if they smell even a single drop of human blood from a long distance away.

How did the sharks react to the human blood in the initial experiment conducted by the speaker?

In the initial experiment, the sharks were not particularly interested in the human blood, which was pumped into the water at a rate of 15 drops per minute for an hour, thus busting the myth from movies.

What was the main question the speaker wanted to answer with the second experiment involving fish blood versus human blood?

The speaker wanted to determine if sharks would react differently to fish blood compared to human blood and if the sharks would be more attracted to fish blood, potentially allowing the speaker to place himself in the center of a shark feeding frenzy.

Who joined the speaker for the second part of the experiment during Shark Week in The Bahamas?

The speaker was joined by Rober and the group Dude Perfect for the second part of the experiment, combining science, fun, and their collective experiences.

Why was the speaker initially unable to travel to The Bahamas for the experiment?

The speaker was unable to travel because his COVID-19 test came back positive, which led to him having to isolate and missing the opportunity to travel on a commercial flight to The Bahamas.

How did the speaker manage to travel to The Bahamas despite the travel restrictions from America?

The speaker found a loophole by traveling on a private jet, which was not restricted by the commercial flight ban from America to The Bahamas.

What did the speaker do to offset the carbon footprint of his private jet flight to The Bahamas?

The speaker used the website teamtrees.org to plant enough trees to offset the carbon emissions from his flight as well as the next 100 flights that the plane would take.

What was the method used to extract blood from fish for the experiment?

The speaker and his team used a blender to blend the fish and extract the blood, adding a little bit of water to help with the blending process.

Why did the speaker decide to use cow's blood instead of human blood for the experiment?

Cow's blood was used because it is difficult to legally obtain human blood, and shark scientists have shown that all mammal blood essentially smells the same to sharks, so using cow blood would not affect the results.

What was the outcome of the experiment comparing the attraction of sharks to mammal blood versus fish blood?

The experiment showed that the fish blood attracted a significantly higher number of sharks, with the mammal blood board being approached eight times and the fish blood board having 134 approaches from sharks.

What safety measures did the speaker take before entering the shark cage during the feeding frenzy?

The speaker wore 10 pounds of steel chainmail for protection and a vest filled with 20 pounds of lead weights to control his buoyancy and sinking speed.

How did the speaker describe his experience inside the shark cage during the feeding frenzy?

The speaker described the experience as insane and terrifying, with sharks bumping the cage and trying to eat him through the bottom of the cage, giving him a sense of what it's like to be prey.

What was the main takeaway the speaker had from his experience with the sharks?

The main takeaway was that sharks have evolved over 400 million years to be attracted to fish blood, and humans or cows would be a rare delicacy for them, not hardwired into their instincts.

Outlines

00:00

🦈 Shark Cage Adventure: Debunking Myths

The script introduces a daring experiment conducted in The Bahamas to test the reaction of sharks to human and fish blood. The narrator, previously involved in an experiment that debunked the myth of sharks going into a frenzy at the smell of human blood, is now curious about their response to fish blood. With the help of Discovery and a team including Rober and Dude Perfect, the narrator embarks on a quest to place himself in the midst of a shark feeding frenzy. Despite initial setbacks due to a positive COVID-19 test, the narrator finds a way to reach The Bahamas via a private jet, offsetting the carbon footprint through tree planting. The first step of the experiment involves extracting blood from fish, blending it to create a smoothie, and preparing for a sea trial to compare the sharks' interest in fish blood versus human blood.

05:10

🧪 Scientific Inquiry into Shark Behavior

This paragraph details the scientific method applied to understand shark behavior in response to different blood types. The team, including marine biologist Luke Tipple, devises an experiment using surfboards to disperse fish blood, human blood (replaced with cow's blood for ethical reasons), and seawater as a control. The experiment is set up in the open ocean to avoid interference from the boat. Despite technical issues with the remote trigger for the pumps, redundancy in the system design saves the day, allowing the experiment to proceed. Observations via drone footage reveal a stark difference in shark attraction to the fish blood versus the mammal blood, with the fish blood drawing a significantly higher number of approaches, confirming the sharks' preference.

10:10

🗡 Preparing for the Ultimate Feeding Frenzy

After confirming the sharks' preference for fish blood, the team prepares for the main event: placing the narrator inside a shark cage amidst a feeding frenzy. The narrator, despite his initial confidence, experiences a moment of doubt when donning heavy protective gear. The plan involves deploying bags of fish blood smoothie to attract the sharks and then observing their behavior up close. The narrator enters the water, descends rapidly due to the weight, and prepares to burst open the bags of fish blood, all while dealing with the realization of the potential danger he is in. The sharks' aggressive response to the blood and their attempts to enter the cage heighten the intensity of the situation, leading to a dramatic and thrilling encounter.

15:11

🦈 A Close Encounter with Sharks: Reflections and Survival

The final paragraph recounts the narrator's intense experience inside the shark cage during the feeding frenzy. The sharks' aggressive behavior, their attempts to get at the bait, and the narrator's reactions to their close encounters are vividly described. The plan to exit the cage safely is thwarted by the sharks' continued interest, leading to a tense and suspenseful extraction. The narrator reflects on the sharks' evolutionary instincts and the rarity of humans as prey, comparing his experience to that of a prey animal. He concludes with a profound realization of the predator-prey dynamic and a humorous note on the drama of the situation.

Keywords

💡Shark Cage

A shark cage is a protective enclosure used by divers to observe sharks in their natural habitat without direct contact. In the video, the creator designed a human-shaped shark cage to be at the center of a shark feeding frenzy, illustrating the close proximity to these predators and the thrill of the experiment.

💡Shark Feeding Frenzy

A shark feeding frenzy refers to a situation where multiple sharks are aggressively feeding on a source of food. The video's main theme revolves around creating such an event to test the sharks' reactions to different types of blood, showcasing the intense and dangerous nature of these creatures in a feeding state.

💡Human Blood

Human blood is the liquid that circulates in the human body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells. In the context of the video, it was used in an experiment to see if sharks react differently to human blood versus fish blood, challenging the myth that sharks are irresistibly attracted to the scent of human blood.

💡Fish Blood

Fish blood is the blood of marine creatures, which, in the video, was used to create a 'smoothie' to attract sharks. The experiment showed that sharks were significantly more attracted to the fish blood, indicating their natural preference for the scent of their usual prey.

💡Bahamas

The Bahamas is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean known for its clear waters and diverse marine life. The video takes place in the Bahamas, where the creator conducts his shark-related experiments, highlighting the region's suitability for such marine research and encounters.

💡Marine Biologist

A marine biologist is a scientist who studies marine organisms and ecosystems. In the video, the creator collaborates with a marine biologist named Luke Tipple, who provides expertise and assistance in conducting the shark blood experiment, emphasizing the importance of scientific knowledge in such endeavors.

💡Scientific Method

The scientific method is a systematic approach to investigating and understanding phenomena through observation, experimentation, and analysis. The video's creator uses the scientific method to test the hypothesis that sharks react differently to fish blood versus mammal blood, demonstrating a structured and empirical approach to the experiment.

💡Chainmail

Chainmail is a type of protective clothing made from interlinked metal rings. In the video, the creator wears chainmail for protection while inside the shark cage during the feeding frenzy, illustrating the potential danger of the situation and the need for safety precautions.

💡Lead Weights

Lead weights are heavy blocks made of lead used for various purposes, including diving to help divers sink or stay at a certain depth. The creator uses lead weights in his vest to control his buoyancy, allowing him to walk at the bottom of the ocean and simulate the experience of walking on the moon.

💡Drone Footage

Drone footage refers to video recorded by a drone, often used for aerial views or tracking movement. In the video, the creator uses drone footage to observe and tally the sharks' approaches to the different blood types, showcasing the use of technology in collecting data for the experiment.

💡Ecologically Responsible

Being ecologically responsible means making choices that minimize harm to the environment. The creator mentions planting trees through teamtrees.org to offset the carbon footprint of his private jet flight to the Bahamas, demonstrating an awareness of environmental impact and efforts to mitigate it.

Highlights

A human-shaped shark cage was designed for an experiment, but it did not keep sharks out as they ended up inside the cage.

An experiment was conducted to test the reaction of sharks to human blood, which dispelled the myth that sharks go crazy for it.

Curious about sharks' reaction to fish blood versus human blood, the experimenter returned to The Bahamas for Shark Week.

The team included Mark Rober and Dude Perfect, combining science, fun, and adventure.

Due to a positive COVID-19 test, the experimenter had to find a loophole to travel to The Bahamas via private jet.

To offset the carbon footprint of the flight, trees were planted through teamtrees.org for the plane's flights.

Marine biologist Luke Tipple helped figure out how to extract blood from a fish, using blending techniques.

The experiment compared shark reactions to fish blood, human blood (using cow blood as a substitute), and seawater control.

Surfbboards were used to conduct the experiment far from the boat to avoid confounding variables.

A remote trigger malfunction led to reliance on backup code, which successfully initiated the experiment.

Drone footage was used to tally shark approaches to the different types of blood.

Fish blood attracted significantly more sharks than mammal blood or seawater, with 134 approaches.

The experimenter prepared for a shark feeding frenzy in a cage, using fish blood smoothie.

Safety measures included wearing chainmail and carrying lead weights for quick sinking and protection.

During the feeding frenzy, sharks attempted to eat through the cage, leading to intense moments.

Exiting the cage required careful distraction by other divers to avoid agitated sharks.

The experimenter reflected on the experience, noting sharks' instincts for fish blood and the rarity of humans as prey.

The experiment concluded with all limbs intact and a deeper understanding of being prey from a shark's perspective.

Transcripts

- This is a specialized human-shaped shark cage I designed.

And this is me in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy

in that cage, which as it happens,

doesn't actually keep the sharks out.

They're in the freaking cage.

But to understand how I ended up

in the middle of The Bahamas with buckets of blood,

surrounded by a butt ton of sharks,

we've gotta go back exactly one year.

Because that's when I ran a test to see what really happens

if sharks smell a drop of human blood in the water.

For that experiment,

I pumped out 15 drops of human blood per minute for an hour,

pretty close to a bunch of sharks that in the end

just weren't really that interested.

So this busted the myth from the movies

that sharks are these ruthless killers that just go crazy

if they smell a drop of your blood from a mile away.

But those results made me really curious if the sharks

would react differently to fish blood versus human blood.

And if they did go crazy for fish blood,

could I use that to put myself right at the center

of a shark feeding frenzy?

And so to satiate my curiosity,

my friends at Discovery helped me make my way

back to The Bahamas as part of Shark Week this year.

But this time, I wouldn't be alone.

- What up, Robes?

- Oh wow.

Mark's jumping in on this?

- What's up, y'all?

- Look, last Shark Week, shark tried to kill me.

- Hmm?

- I figure we'd have a little bit of science with Rober,

a little bit of fun with Dude Perfect,

and a little bit of me.

All right, y'all ready to do this?

- We were born ready, sir.

- All right. (palms smacking) Chop chop.

Let's get to it, fellas.

- We will not let you down.

Looking forward to it.

See ya later. - See ya.

- Yeah, I've got this idea for a build

to just really get me in close with the sharks.

Last year- - Hey, Rober.

- I was in the water.

- Rober. Rober.

- Hmm?

- That was me saying I'm finished with the call, bro.

- No, of course.

- All right, see you guys later.

Let's get to it.

- Let's do this.

- Looking forward to it.

See ya.

- And so in the direction of Shaq Diesel,

it was time to head to The Bahamas.

All that was left was to swab my nose

to prove to the Bahamian government

that I didn't have coronavirus.

The only problem was my test came back positive.

And this just made me really sad

because not only was I gonna miss out

on this epic adventure,

but as far as I was concerned,

I was basically just waiting to die.

And I had to interact with my family through the glass door

to the backyard using a laser pointer and not even

Fat Gus would get within six feet of me.

Now, I'm happy to say I eventually beat the RONA

and tested negative, but the only problem now

is I missed my chance because they were no longer

accepting any commercial flights from America

'cause we're number one baby.

So I was once again incredibly sad until I found a loophole.

Because while you couldn't go to The Bahamas

on a public commercial flight,

there were no rules against going to The Bahamas

on a private jet.

And since this was the first and last time

I would ever have my own personal G6,

I acted like I'd been here before,

like the true professional I am.

I mean, mostly.

(bright upbeat music)

Put Elon on hold and transfer to Oprah.

(bright upbeat music)

I should mention, flying across country on your own plane

isn't the most ecologically responsible choice.

So while I was in the air,

I utilized this website called teamtrees.org.

You might have heard of it.

To plant enough trees to suck up the carbon

not only for my flight,

but the next 100 flights this plane would take.

(bright upbeat music)

In the end, it's important you guys know

I'm still super grounded

and I didn't let the experience change me one bit.

And so now that I was in The Bahamas,

the first thing I did was check in with my marine biologist,

shark diving expert buddy Luke Tipple,

because we need to figure out

how to somehow get blood out of a fish.

Oh. (giggles)

- [Luke] Just like that.

- This is how we do it?

The first thought is like, (fish thuds)

can you just freaking blend a fish?

- Give it a shot. I'll be over here.

- Dude, you've clearly never seen "Will It Blend?".

There's a whole YouTube channel dedicated to this.

Ready? (blender whirs)

Oh! (both laughing)

(blender whirring)

Okay.

I think if we add a little bit of water.

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah.

(both groans)

This looks like the number 32 from Jamba Juice.

We tried a variety of other techniques

and eventually started hitting our stride

and the bucket started filling up.

(bright upbeat music)

If I couldn't smell this, that looks pretty delicious.

(bright upbeat music)

- The good thing about Mark is it's his stupid idea,

but he is not making other people do it.

- I respect that about me too.

- Yeah.

(bright upbeat music)

I also learned this is what fish gills

look like on the inside.

They're like pages in a book to increase the surface area

which maximizes the oxygen they can pull outta the water.

So we've taken about 20 fish

with a little bit of help from the blender,

turned them into this.

If I'm a shark, I'm like, that's freaking delicious.

Now that we had five gallons

of mouthwatering fish blood smoothie,

it was time to get some answers.

We already know that sharks don't necessarily go nuts

in the presence of a little bit of human blood,

but would they go nuts in the presence

of a little bit of fish blood?

And as a firm believer in the scientific method,

it was time to test our hypothesis by heading out to sea.

Once we were far enough from land,

Luke and I came up with a game plan for the experiment.

Basically we would have two surfboards in the water.

One would have a five gallon bucket

of our fish blood smoothie,

and then another would have five gallons of human blood.

We would also have a third board that just had seawater

as a control to make sure the sharks

weren't just interested in the surfboards.

Then we would pump out the contents

of each of the buckets over the course of an hour

and observe how many sharks approached each board.

Then, once we know which one they prefer after this,

we'll use that tomorrow in the cage,

just to create the most wild feeding frenzy, right?

- Which sounds super fun to me.

- 'Cause you're not in the cage.

(both laughs)

And so with the plan in place,

all that was left to do was put the boards together,

and get them out with the sharks.

(bright upbeat music)

One of the limitations to last year's test

was that the boards might have been too close to the boat.

So it's possible some of the sharks

actually smelled the blood but didn't investigate it

because they were just waiting for a handout from the boat.

So this time we basically placed the boards

in the middle of the fricking ocean

super far away from the boat,

so it wouldn't be a confounding variable.

Oh, and I should also mention we ended up

using cow's blood because it's really hard

to legally find five gallons of human blood.

And after talking with a couple shark scientists

they've shown experimentally that all mammal blood

essentially smells the same to sharks.

So, it wouldn't affect the results to use cow blood

in place of human blood.

So, now that all three boards were in place,

we double checked to ensure each was anchored down

to the ocean floor.

Then I just had to start all three custom-built pumps

using our custom-built remote trigger,

which is the exact moment I realized

it must have got busted while being shipped out here

because it wasn't sending a signal.

Which sucks because there's absolutely no way

to run the pumps manually.

Luckily, a trick I learned while working at NASA

is you always build redundancy into your systems

just in case.

So we have it in the code that if no remote start signal

is received after an hour, each of the pumps

will just automatically start up on their own.

It's just a feature we never had time to test,

so we just had to firmly cross our fingers

and hope for the best.

I'm hopeful.

We've had to overcome a lot to get here for this video.

What's one more little challenge.

And at exactly one hour,

right on cue, the backup code kicked in

and saved our whole experiment.

With blood now officially in the water,

we put the drone into the air and started our observations.

(bright upbeat music)

And things were pretty quiet for about the first 20 minutes,

but then we had our first hit on the mammal blood board.

Shark? - Yeah.

- Shark, baby!

We got a shark! - It's a shark?

Oh yeah, yeah.

- But pretty soon thereafter, things started heating up

for the fish blood smoothie board.

Oh my gosh.

There's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 sharks

around the fish smoothie board.

And then 10 minutes later, things were only more intense.

Here you can see the difference in activity

between the three boards.

And while you're running an experiment

and still collecting data,

you really need to keep an open mind.

But given what we were seeing,

it was getting pretty difficult to remain objective.

And so after an hour, we called the experiment

and went inside to officially tally up the results

using the drone footage.

And it turns out the mammal blood board

was approached eight times.

The seawater control board was at zero.

And the fish blood board

had a whopping 134 approaches from a shark.

Definitely seems like the fish smoothie

is where it's at, right?

- It was pretty obvious.

- Massive blob of sharks. No sharks.

- I think that's the go for tomorrow

for maximum feeding frenzy.

Now that we had a game plan

for my feeding frenzy cage the next day,

we headed back to shore and to our hotel

to get some rest for what was to come.

Oh and fun side note, if the only way

to get to a vacation destination is by private jet,

it really cuts down on the crowds.

(bright upbeat music)

We literally had this whole resort to ourselves.

Well, almost to ourselves.

There were like 40 cats

who apparently must also fly private.

We woke up bright and early the next morning,

feeling refreshed and headed right back out to sea

where Luke and I prepared some massive bags

of fish blood smoothie

for me to burst open once I went down.

It just seemed like a cool idea to make a cage

to get in the middle of a feeding frenzy,

until this moment. (laughs dryly)

Now that they're making me put on freaking chainmail,

makes me reconsider my life choices.

If something terrible happens,

Shaq you gotta take care of my family

because this is all your fault.

- Yeah. Let's go.

- And after several months of prep,

unfortunately, it was time for me to get in.

It also just so happens,

I might have forgot to mention this part to my wife.

I'm not looking under the water yet on purpose.

She might have been under the impression

I was just doing another experiment

with surfboards and pumps.

Sorry, sweetie.

Not only was I wearing 10 pounds

of steel chainmail for protection,

but my vest is also filled with 20 pounds of lead weights.

That means I sank pretty fast.

But also that the buoyancy to weight ratios were perfect

for giving me practice for walking on the moon.

That's one small step for man.

Because like many of you,

I will definitely go to space in my lifetime.

Again, just haven't mentioned that to the wife yet.

Super Mario jump, here we go.

(water sloshing)

Let's do this baby!

- [Luke] All right, you ready for the top?

(gentle upbeat music)

Okay Mark, the bait is coming behind you right now.

(gentle upbeat music)

(water sloshing)

- Now that I have the fish smoothie bags

and everyone was back at a safe distance,

I decide to pop these stupid things.

Okay.

Here I go.

Oh, this is crazy. What am I doing?

(suspenseful music)

Okay, the bait is deployed.

Ah!

I got to get this stuff outta here.

Here they come.

(Mark screams)

Oh.

Oh my God.

Oh God, they're bumping the cage.

(suspenseful music intensifies)

Look at those teeth!

That could have been my hand

if I wasn't doing the T-Rex maneuver.

They want to eat me real bad.

Oh, now they're literally like moving circles around me.

Oh gosh.

Oh! His head's in the cage!

What the crap!

This is certifiably insane!

Oh!

The sharks were literally trying to eat me

through the bottom of the cage.

So, they left me no choice but to defend my honor.

Yeah, get outta my cage!

Get outta my cage!

I'm gonna kill you Shaq!

Get the heck out!

Ayyyy.

Awwww.

Yo bro, get outta my cage, all right?

They loved our blended concoction.

We knew all along that the most dangerous part

would be when I exited the cage

because they'd still be agitated

and they'd be stoked to finally have access

to the soft chewy center.

Okay, the blood kinda dissipated.

The sharks have gone a little bit.

- [Luke] Okay, we're pulling the bait away, mate.

- [Mark] So the plan was for one of the other divers

to distract them way off to the side with a bait box,

and then I would get out as silently as possible

so they wouldn't notice me.

Dude, that was insane.

Yeah, you're not so tough now, are you sharks?

- [Luke] Okay Mark, go ahead, open the door.

- Okay.

(breathing noises)

Oh crap.

(contraption thuds loudly)

That was loud.

(water sloshing)

Dude. Luke!

Holy crap.

I've gotta close this back up.

(suspenseful music)

Oh geez.

Luke, I need help, man.

Holy crap.

Geez.

- [Luke] Keep your arms in mate.

These sharks aren't going away.

I'm going to get you back to the surface.

- [Mark] Okay.

(screams)

Oh my gosh.

(water sloshing)

- [Luke] Top side, top side.

We're on our way out.

- [Mark] I think somewhere to tell Shaq

he can do his own stunts from now on.

Hey! I'm alive!

The main takeaway for me for this experience

is that sharks have been on this planet

longer than the dinosaurs or even trees have.

So, they've had 400 million years of evolution

to develop these instincts that are rewarded

for smelling fish blood.

Humans and cows will be an extremely rare delicacy.

So it makes sense that it's not just hardwired

into their brains.

And so with all my limbs intact

and with my curiosity fully satiated,

I will leave you with these profound words

that in my defense might have been the drama in me speaking.

As humans we're always the predator

and not really ever the prey.

But this gave me a sense

of what it's like to be a tuna fish.

(heavy drum beat)

(playful upbeat music)