Instead of a cute kitten chasing its tail video making the Internet rounds, it’s an enormous great white shark apparently high-fiving a dive master. The dive master, Joel Ibarra, was in a shark cage off of his ecotourism boat near Mexico when the 22 foot long shark came nice and close.

This great white is actually one of the largest ever seen. Nicknamed Deep Blue, the enormous female swam close to Ibarra when he noted the large gash on her side. Deep Blue is so big, making quick turns to avoid the sharp corners and edges of the shark cage is difficult. What was caught on film wasn’t a high-five, it was the dive master attempting to guide the shark away from the cage and further harm.

Mauricio Hoyos Padilla is a researcher who studies sharks and other marine wildlife for a non-profit organization. He was the first to see Deep Blue as he studies the shark activity off of Guadalupe Island, off the coast of Mexico. He has been studying shark behavior for more than 13 years.

Deep Blue appears to have an unusually distended midsection because she is likely pregnant, say researchers. Sharks tend to migrate to an area near Guadalupe Island for breeding. The pregnant female sharks generally stay in the area from spring until November or December, when elephant seals arrive. These seals are like meal-delivery for the pregnant sharks. Female sharks can ambush seals up to 100 meters deep in the ocean. A great white shark pregnancy is estimated to last 18 months to two years. The process has never been fully witnessed, so the exact length of time is unknown.

Deep Blue is not unknown to researchers or to many who follow the Discovery Channel. Footage of her for one of the Shark Week programs was recorded last year as they followed her after tagging her with a transponder. In the video, she appears to be longer than the boat that is tracking her.

Her age is estimated to be more than 50 years old based on her 22 foot-long size. She was pregnant during the Discovery filming and is still pregnant in this latest siting. Might she give birth soon? The oldest recorded great white shark was a male that was 73 years old and 16.2 feet long.

Great white sharks are vulnerable. This is a label given by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature indicating that they are have a high risk of extinction.  The biggest threat to them is humans. Commercial and sport fishing is one threat. Revenge killing for sharks involved in attacks is another. Habitat degradation, caused by construction and other sources is also a problem.

Great whites, especially those as large as Deep Blue, appear frightening. However, if statistics are examined, in 2010 there were 32 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide. Also in 2010, humans killed 97 million sharks. Who is actually the bigger danger here?

A Shaman is a highly regarded person in some civilizations. He is considered to be an intermediary between our world and the spirit world. He is a healer, the person who conducts ceremonial rituals, and guides his people. The shaman’s focus is on man’s connection to nature and the well-being of all parts of creation. If you’re wondering how sharks fit into this, read on.

Animals feature heavily into the shaman’s belief system, teachings, and ceremonies. Animal totems are most often identified by Native Americans, though they are found in many global cultures. They give people a place to focus on incorporating strengths of animals into their lives and character. This incorporation provides strength of character and internal change for the better. There are many animal totems from badgers to zebras, but one of the most influential and powerful is the shark.

A person with a shark totem is considered to be the animal symbol of fearlessness. While sharks have the reputation as being brutal, the shaman believe that sharks are only dangerous and unpredictable when they are in large groups. In addition to fearlessness, sharks also include the representation of the hunter, survival, protection, balance, power, adaptability, channeling messages from other frequencies or realms, and emotional transformation.

It’s interesting how those who believe they have a shark totem integrate the qualities of a shark into their lives. For instance, if one finds themselves clashing with someone, their shark totem will provide them with the power and confidence to stand up for themselves and eradicate the negative situation.

Sharks’ swimming patterns represent another aspect of the totem. The water represents emotional transformation. A shark’s swimming patterns can reveal how to move away from conflicts and adapt to new environments. A shark’s sense of smell and heightened sensory sensitivities indicate that aromatherapy might be very effective for those with the shark totem.

Consider a shark in captivity. It is often alone so it may be trained to perform a simple task. This solitary time with a singular goal keeps the shark calm and balanced. A person with the shark totem must have alone-time to be centered. This may mean meditation, tai chi, or yoga. This quiet time is calming and keeps the mood even.

Those “shark people” are often workaholics because they like to stay busy and active. They can accomplish huge tasks with great focus. Having a shark totem can be a very advantageous power animal.

Animal totems are determined in many ways, through birth, dreams, or simply feeling “connected” to a certain animal. There are many online quizzes to find your totem, but as with all of those kinds of quizzes, they are not to be taken seriously. If you feel connected to the shark, by characteristics, dreams, or studying more about sharks to find out your affinity to them, perhaps the shark is your totem animal. If so, keep in mind the movement, instincts, personality, power, and reputation of the shark. How does it pertain to your life? How can you make it work for you? Only you can know for sure…

Shark conservationists have banded together to raise awareness to important issues about saving sharks. The Shark Angels are a global network using outreach, media, and education to increase awareness and promote others to help save the sharks and oceans.

Shark Angels use a network of global collaboration, working to inspire members to bring the messages to their local communities. Their motto: By harnessing the power of the passionate around the world, together, as guardian angels, we can save sharks.

Statistics from their website indicate that over 73,000,000 sharks will be killed this year. This kind of loss will lead several species to extinction. If you are one of the uninformed, only knowing sharks as the kind of deadly beasts in Hollywood movies, you may think this is great news. Actually, it isn’t good at all. Sharks are an important part of the marine ecosystem. Their eating habits, which do not include humans, keep the ecosystem stable. Some studies have indicated that the loss of some breeds of sharks could cause coral reefs to die out and overpopulation of some species, such as cow-nose rays. An example of how damaging the loss of sharks is this: If sharks become extinct in the mid-Atlantic area of the U.S., the shellfish industry will be destroyed. The reason for this is that the cow-nose ray population will rise unchecked. Their main diet is scallops. Other areas of the world will experience similar problems. In Belize, studies indicate that the extinction of sharks would cause a sudden increase in grouper which will then kill off the parrotfish population. The parrotfish primarily keep coral free of algae, so the coral will also die off.

There is no real way to predict what would happen globally if sharks became extinct, but based on studies in several areas, it wouldn’t be good news.

You may think that you aren’t contributing to the shark problem, but consider this list of items that contain shark parts. Supplements to diets and even some energy drinks may contain shark oils or cartilage; Shark fin soup and dumplings; Cosmetics, lotions, sunscreens, lip balms, and more beauty items containing squalene or squalene (other names for shark liver oil); Shark steaks , fish and chips, or white fish fillets may contain shark; Shagreen is the name of the skin of the shark and can be found in wallets, purses, shoes, and other leather products; Shark souvenirs that are not fossils such as teeth, jaws, or skin; Pet products like food, treats, and supplements; Imitation fish often contains shark. Whether knowingly or not, you may have purchased products from a company that is using shark materials.

You can help. The Shark Angels are only one group. There are many more. Shark Angels will welcome your help. Encourage and educate others of the perils of shark extinction, donate to help advocate for positive media campaigns, purchase Shark Angels products or even adopt a shark! You will receive a stuffed shark puppet with certificate of adoption, a photo and facts about your shark, and more. Your name will appear on the website and you can name your shark.

However you choose to help, whether via donation or by spreading education, it is appreciated by those who care about sharks and maintaining our marine ecosystem.