Australia: Paintings tell the stories of shark ancestors
Sharks and rays cruise the waters around the reefs that fringe Australia. These animals are sacred to the Yolngu people of Northern Australia, who believe shark ancestors helped create the world.
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 Listening Lesson
The Yolngu are master players and craftsmen of the yidaki (known to other Aborigines as the didgeridoo). Listen to our Australian Gallery soundtrack and try to pick it out. What other sounds do you hear?
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Stories of the Dreaming
Storytelling is an integral part of life for the Yolngu people and other indigenous Australians. On this Australian web site you can listen to or read stories such as "Creation of the Emu and the Jabiru," handed down since the beginning of time.
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Visit our Sharks Resources Page.
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Galapagos sharks live all around the world—roaming the outer edges of reefs that ring tropical islands from South America to Australia.
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Unlike other rays, which spend most of their time near a sandy seafloor, the pelagic stingray lives in open waters.
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Most sharks are solitary travelers, but scalloped hammerheads often school. The elongated head is believed to help this shark track prey, possibly by improving sensory perception.
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Meet more Sharks and Rays
People in northern Australia are lobbying lawmakers to ban modern fishing practices that are depleting sharks and rays. They're urging commercial fishermen to adopt practices their ancestors used—like catch limits—which have kept local shark populations healthy for thousands of years.
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Choose seafood that spares sharks
You can help conserve sharks, rays and other ocean wildlife by avoiding seafood that comes from destructive fisheries. Use our Seafood Watch pocket guide to make wise seafood choices.
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Learn more about what you can do to save sharks.
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