Who was this man? He was Perry Gilbert, and he had been studying sharks for over thirty years. You might say he was a scientist of sharks, those predators that fascinated and terrified mankind, the great fish that looked as if they belonged in some savage, pre-historic era. The shark was not a mammal; it had gills and fins, and it laid eggs. This meant that it was a fish. This fact in itself was not controversial, but it did sometimes lead to confusion, since sharks were often compared to dolphins, their closest rivals, who were indeed mammals. Perry Gilbert was interested in everything that made sharks special: the teeth, the gills, and even the eyes. Everything about these creatures fascinated him. He had practically made them his full-time job, but Perry Gilbert did not only study sharks: he was also a biologist, a zoologist and a university professor. The shark that had just washed up on the coastline absorbed his full attention. The coastguard had called him in to examine the frightful creature that had been found lying on the beach that morning, and Perry Gilbert had not hesitated to grab his magnifying glass, delighted at the prospect of inspecting every detail of the animal. He took his magnifying glass and held it over one of the shark’s jaws. He asked the coastguards: “Did you know that when a shark opens its mouth, the teeth shift backward to make it easier for him to eat small fish? A shark can lose up to thirty thousand teeth over the course of its life. They grow back every eight or ten days. Look at these teeth. Notice anything about them?” The guards moved closer, and observed the shark’s jaw. They did not notice anything, and remained silent. Perry Gilbert went on: “Look at the shape of the teeth. This one’s for grinding, and this one’s sharper, for cutting. A shark has every kind of teeth imaginable. This is God’s creation, fellas. Teeth for gripping, teeth for ripping...it’s incredible, really. Thick teeth and flat teeth... incredible.” Perry Gilbert was fascinated, and stroked the shark’s back. He was passionate about his work, and what had washed up on the shore that morning was part of his legacy. “Leave that shark exactly where it is!” Perry Gilbert told them.
He climbed back into his Fiat 500 and sped home. Such a fool he’d been to forget his camera; the specimen must be documented for posterity. It would have been the perfect opportunity to show the shark to his students at the university. “Damnit, these things always roll in like a tornado, just at the wrong moment!” And so he drove up the hill back to his little house overlooking the sea.
Alan Alfredo Geday
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