Look what I found.
In the sixteenth century, French naturalist Guillaume Rondelet, who according to “Great White Shark”, may have produced the earliest illustration of the white shark, is also the first scientist to suggest the great white as the likely swallower in the story of Jonah. Rondelet also reported finding a fully clad intact sailor in the stomach of a great white. In the “Systema Naturae of 1758”, written by the Swedish naturalist and physician Carolus Linnaeus, the animal classification text mentions that the white shark was an enormous fish and probably the variety that swallowed Jonah. Bishop Eric Pontoppidan of Norway, a prolific writer of seagoing fiction and nonfiction, in 1765 wrote a detailed paper that proved, to his satisfaction, that Jonah had been gulped down by a basking shark.
In 1916, some scientists revisited the question of Jonah’s attacker as it related to the New Jersey attacks...Paul Budker, in the “Life of Sharks”, had reviewed the early writings of Rondelet and had concluded that Rondelet felt it impossible for a man to pass down the narrow throat of a whale and that the Carcharodon was not a bad choice because of its ability to swallow large prey whole “and bring it up later”. Additionally, sharks have been known to regurgitate the contents of their stomachs at will. The only other marine animals in the running for such a position would be the sperm whale, the killer whale, the whale shark, or the basking shark, although a grouper has been implicated. Budker, in his certainty about the assignment, even felt that Carcharodon carcharias should be specifically substituted for “whale”...
According to the story, Jonah was not far from the shore of Joppa when the incident occurred. Joppa, in ancient times, was the original port of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean Sea coast of Israel. The fact that Joppa was also a whaling port in ancient times may have influenced the scribe of the Gospel of Matthew to choose the whale for his writing. On the other hand, the fact that whale carcasses may have been in the general vicinity of Joppa additionally supports the idea that great whites were in the area. Great whites have been known to ravage the floating remains of whales off Montauk, New York, and, in view of the whale’s blubber (fat) content and its passivity (dead), the whale carrion likely represents the “filet mignon” of white shark dietary opportunities.
But could a great white attack occur in the region described by the biblical writers? The answer seems to be yes. Since 1876, there have been twenty-two confirmed unprovoked white shark attacks with thirteen fatalities in Mediterranean waters. In 1891 (from “Mediterranean Naturalist”), at least one Mediterranean scientist...stated that “it is not unusual to find the Great White Shark of the Indian Seas disporting itself into the waters of the eastern basin (through the Suez Canal) of the Mediterranean). (“Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks”, by Richard G. Fernicola, pages 121-123)
That canal did not exist back then. But otherwise it’s some interesting info. I’ve heard that on several occasions intact human carcasses have been found inside the bellies of great whites. It’s roomy in there. These critters can grow large enough to just swallow you up in a chomp without so much as giving you a scratch. Their stomachs are strong too. Intact furniture has been found inside them, for instance. Who’s with me on this?
In the sixteenth century, French naturalist Guillaume Rondelet, who according to “Great White Shark”, may have produced the earliest illustration of the white shark, is also the first scientist to suggest the great white as the likely swallower in the story of Jonah. Rondelet also reported finding a fully clad intact sailor in the stomach of a great white. In the “Systema Naturae of 1758”, written by the Swedish naturalist and physician Carolus Linnaeus, the animal classification text mentions that the white shark was an enormous fish and probably the variety that swallowed Jonah. Bishop Eric Pontoppidan of Norway, a prolific writer of seagoing fiction and nonfiction, in 1765 wrote a detailed paper that proved, to his satisfaction, that Jonah had been gulped down by a basking shark.
In 1916, some scientists revisited the question of Jonah’s attacker as it related to the New Jersey attacks...Paul Budker, in the “Life of Sharks”, had reviewed the early writings of Rondelet and had concluded that Rondelet felt it impossible for a man to pass down the narrow throat of a whale and that the Carcharodon was not a bad choice because of its ability to swallow large prey whole “and bring it up later”. Additionally, sharks have been known to regurgitate the contents of their stomachs at will. The only other marine animals in the running for such a position would be the sperm whale, the killer whale, the whale shark, or the basking shark, although a grouper has been implicated. Budker, in his certainty about the assignment, even felt that Carcharodon carcharias should be specifically substituted for “whale”...
According to the story, Jonah was not far from the shore of Joppa when the incident occurred. Joppa, in ancient times, was the original port of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean Sea coast of Israel. The fact that Joppa was also a whaling port in ancient times may have influenced the scribe of the Gospel of Matthew to choose the whale for his writing. On the other hand, the fact that whale carcasses may have been in the general vicinity of Joppa additionally supports the idea that great whites were in the area. Great whites have been known to ravage the floating remains of whales off Montauk, New York, and, in view of the whale’s blubber (fat) content and its passivity (dead), the whale carrion likely represents the “filet mignon” of white shark dietary opportunities.
But could a great white attack occur in the region described by the biblical writers? The answer seems to be yes. Since 1876, there have been twenty-two confirmed unprovoked white shark attacks with thirteen fatalities in Mediterranean waters. In 1891 (from “Mediterranean Naturalist”), at least one Mediterranean scientist...stated that “it is not unusual to find the Great White Shark of the Indian Seas disporting itself into the waters of the eastern basin (through the Suez Canal) of the Mediterranean). (“Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks”, by Richard G. Fernicola, pages 121-123)
That canal did not exist back then. But otherwise it’s some interesting info. I’ve heard that on several occasions intact human carcasses have been found inside the bellies of great whites. It’s roomy in there. These critters can grow large enough to just swallow you up in a chomp without so much as giving you a scratch. Their stomachs are strong too. Intact furniture has been found inside them, for instance. Who’s with me on this?
: