| Ptotem: Sharkheart |
| Welcome to the Ptero Heart of Luna Taylor |
| ________________ |
| ________________ |
The ptotem for April is the seahorse.
Submissions of original seahorse images
should be sent to pterobones@gmail.com
no later than March 20th. All submissions
will be included in April's Ptero Heart.
Submissions of original seahorse images
should be sent to pterobones@gmail.com
no later than March 20th. All submissions
will be included in April's Ptero Heart.
March 2010
! SHARK AREA !
1. Snake
2. Coyote
3. Cow
4. Deer
5. Llama
6. Bat
7. Crab
8. Owl
9. Seahorse
10. Shark
11. Raccoon
12. Pterosaur
2. Coyote
3. Cow
4. Deer
5. Llama
6. Bat
7. Crab
8. Owl
9. Seahorse
10. Shark
11. Raccoon
12. Pterosaur
| I directly learn about my own patterns by comparing them to what I see on Earth. |
| ________________ |
| Letter from the Editor: Indelible |
| Featured Artist: Tattooist Steve'O Hennagir |
| Recipe: Avocado Perfecto |
| Ptero Shoot with the Volcano |
| 1. Melissa Niska, "Tiger" |
| 2. Leif Stark, "Whale Shark" |
| 5. Mitch Lockhart, "Pterosharkshimmy" |
| 3. Aaron Hanson, "Shark" |
| 6. Chris Taylor, "Hammerhead" |
| 7. Gwen Wallick, "Shark and Squirrel" |
| 9. Dennis Taylor, "Chris and his Trophy Trout" |
| 8. Luna Taylor, "Shark! Not Coyote" |
| 4. Jorden Huseboe, "Sharky" |
When I was a little girl, I often went surf fishing with my dad
out on the barrier islands of the Texas Gulf Coast. We would
leave before dawn, pick up taquitos, and head down the beach
to the wilds of the Padre Island National Seashore. While dad
fished, I would play on the beach, swim in the surf, and get to
know myself under the sky and on this fringe of land and sea.
To this day, I feel the Gulf of Mexico is my grandest sanctuary,
where I defined much of my core, and it is my touchstone for
zeroing out the scales of my heart.
out on the barrier islands of the Texas Gulf Coast. We would
leave before dawn, pick up taquitos, and head down the beach
to the wilds of the Padre Island National Seashore. While dad
fished, I would play on the beach, swim in the surf, and get to
know myself under the sky and on this fringe of land and sea.
To this day, I feel the Gulf of Mexico is my grandest sanctuary,
where I defined much of my core, and it is my touchstone for
zeroing out the scales of my heart.
There are many potential villains to meet on the Gulf Coast.
Besides the elements of scathing sun and salt and sand, murky
water, wind and lightning and hurricanes, there are animals.
Sting rays, jellyfish, and Portuguese Man O'Wars. Biting flies.
Rattlesnakes. Mosquitoes. And sharks.
Besides the elements of scathing sun and salt and sand, murky
water, wind and lightning and hurricanes, there are animals.
Sting rays, jellyfish, and Portuguese Man O'Wars. Biting flies.
Rattlesnakes. Mosquitoes. And sharks.
I remember an arm being taken here, a leg there. According to the
slightly outdated statistics of the International Shark Attack File, there
were 34 recorded attacks on the Texas coast between 1911 and 2008, 3
of them fatal. Hans Fix was killed in 1962 near Port Isabel, probably by
a bull shark. He was surf fishing in waist deep water. Which is close to
what my dad was doing one bright day when I was a blonde and tan
grade-schooler playing mermaid next to him out on the sand bar.
slightly outdated statistics of the International Shark Attack File, there
were 34 recorded attacks on the Texas coast between 1911 and 2008, 3
of them fatal. Hans Fix was killed in 1962 near Port Isabel, probably by
a bull shark. He was surf fishing in waist deep water. Which is close to
what my dad was doing one bright day when I was a blonde and tan
grade-schooler playing mermaid next to him out on the sand bar.
There was an aerial photo , hung in an
after-fishing lunch spot, that showed
beach swimmers surrounded in a
school of bonnet-nosed sharks. I
learned as a young child the basic
cautions to take to not draw attention
to yourself as a swimmer.
You know, the don't-bleed-in-
the-murky-water-with-your-shiny-
bathing-suit-flashing basic care.
after-fishing lunch spot, that showed
beach swimmers surrounded in a
school of bonnet-nosed sharks. I
learned as a young child the basic
cautions to take to not draw attention
to yourself as a swimmer.
You know, the don't-bleed-in-
the-murky-water-with-your-shiny-
bathing-suit-flashing basic care.
| Shark Encounter of the First Kind by Dennis Taylor ................... |
Still, the chance of disaster was right there. I would
whisper to myself as I trusted my impulses to lead
me out into the water. When you explore the Gulf of
Mexico, you rarely see your toes. It was my first
mantra. I will not be afraid of the sharks, I will not
be afraid of the sharks. But I knew they would
always be out there with me.
One fine day, I was a mermaid who turned into a
shark. My reasoning for this shift was as follows.
Sharks are real. They have those cool rows of
replaceable teeth. They have a more streamlined
swimming shape than do mermaids. They are
ultra-flexible with their cartilaginous skeletons. They
perfected their basic design about 420 million years
ago, mush sooner than the pterodactyls. Other
perks? All that time hanging out on the reefs. Lots of
sushi. But most importantly, sharks are famous
apex predators.
Therefore they fear not.
Because of my hearing loss, I especially like to read
about the strengths and weaknesses in the senses of
other animals. Sharks depend on vibration for much
of their information gathering. Like most fish they
have a lateral line, which is a sense organ that runs
the length of their bodies, detecting the vibrations
from movements of wounded prey in the water.
They also have these electroreceptors called
Ampullae of Lorenzini that help them detect
electrical impulses and magnetic fields, so fine-tuned
they can detect contractions in the muscles of prey.
Specialized, sophisticated exploratory bite-taking is
right up my alley. Machine-like bio tools. And fast!
A shortfin mako can swim 30mph.
So all of this, I want all of this. That is why I have a
sharky self that I tap into when it is difficult to be a
strong and solitary hunter.
Sharks are not invincible. There will always be
human treachery. And for a human there will
always be shark treachery. So you have to be bold
anyway, shark or human, and trust your impulses.
whisper to myself as I trusted my impulses to lead
me out into the water. When you explore the Gulf of
Mexico, you rarely see your toes. It was my first
mantra. I will not be afraid of the sharks, I will not
be afraid of the sharks. But I knew they would
always be out there with me.
One fine day, I was a mermaid who turned into a
shark. My reasoning for this shift was as follows.
Sharks are real. They have those cool rows of
replaceable teeth. They have a more streamlined
swimming shape than do mermaids. They are
ultra-flexible with their cartilaginous skeletons. They
perfected their basic design about 420 million years
ago, mush sooner than the pterodactyls. Other
perks? All that time hanging out on the reefs. Lots of
sushi. But most importantly, sharks are famous
apex predators.
Therefore they fear not.
Because of my hearing loss, I especially like to read
about the strengths and weaknesses in the senses of
other animals. Sharks depend on vibration for much
of their information gathering. Like most fish they
have a lateral line, which is a sense organ that runs
the length of their bodies, detecting the vibrations
from movements of wounded prey in the water.
They also have these electroreceptors called
Ampullae of Lorenzini that help them detect
electrical impulses and magnetic fields, so fine-tuned
they can detect contractions in the muscles of prey.
Specialized, sophisticated exploratory bite-taking is
right up my alley. Machine-like bio tools. And fast!
A shortfin mako can swim 30mph.
So all of this, I want all of this. That is why I have a
sharky self that I tap into when it is difficult to be a
strong and solitary hunter.
Sharks are not invincible. There will always be
human treachery. And for a human there will
always be shark treachery. So you have to be bold
anyway, shark or human, and trust your impulses.
Laura and I headed down to Big Shell for the
weekly fishing adventure on one of the largest,
grandest, barrier bar islands on the planet. Padre
Island is a beautiful natural continuity, an expanse
of sand and colorful shell hash running in a long
arching curve, for over a hundred miles, providing
protection for South Texas from the Tormentos
Grandes (hurricanes).
This event took place in the 1980's when you could
still have several miles of beach just to yourself,
even on a Saturday. Four-wheel drive was
essential in order to be able to access this part of
the Island.
weekly fishing adventure on one of the largest,
grandest, barrier bar islands on the planet. Padre
Island is a beautiful natural continuity, an expanse
of sand and colorful shell hash running in a long
arching curve, for over a hundred miles, providing
protection for South Texas from the Tormentos
Grandes (hurricanes).
This event took place in the 1980's when you could
still have several miles of beach just to yourself,
even on a Saturday. Four-wheel drive was
essential in order to be able to access this part of
the Island.
We left early on a June morning, a little before sunup. Laura and I had loaded up all of the beach gear
including the surf rods, rod holders, and beach chairs. We had our ice chests with food, water, and extra ice
to ice our catch down. Big Shell is where the entire beach is characterized by a change in the shell size pieces,
from little to big, in the multi-colored beach berms. In June the shark spawning schools in the 2nd and 3rd
cuts can reach sizes up to several hundred cartilaginous fish travelling in a group. All kinds of sharks are here
in the surf including sand tigers, lemons, hammerheads, bonnetheads, scallopheads, bulls, makos, and
blacktips. For our tablefare, we hoped to catch Florida Pompano, whiting, specks, and redfish to bring back
home for Mary Ann and Chris in the late evening.
We had set out the big rods and placed them in the rod holders. The surf was very gentle that day, with 3
rows only a half foot high. The water was crystal clear. While waiting for the big hits on our surf rods, I
would fish with lighter tackle for smaller fish. I would wade out to the first sand bar, and cast with a spoon
for specks and Spanish mackerel while Laura would play in the clear water behind the first bar, between
where I was wade fishing and the main beach face, in water up 3 feet deep.
As I cast the silver spoon 50 yards down the backside of the first bar, I caught glimpse of a large shadowy
figure moving behind the spoon as it traveled through the clear water. At that point Laura was playing in the
deeper water on the drop off from the first bar into the first cut.
The large fish seem to hover in the 3 feet of water behind the bar, and so I had Laura climb up on the bar
with me, and then she climbed up my back and stood with her toes hooked into my belt on my wade-fishing
shorts. She peered over my right shoulder from a height that gave her an excellent vantage point to see what
was going on in the clear water 40 yards down the bar.
I cast the large silver spoon with my left arm and hand past the shape in the water, and, as I brought the lure
past the fish, the bright flashes and movement of the Johnson spoon piqued the animal's curiosity. He left the
larger school of bait fish that was creating interest to check the spoon out.
As this all transpired, the fish shadow transformed into a large, five foot, blacktip shark before our very eyes.
I told Laura to hold very still and not move so as not to draw attention to us. Laura became very quiet and
still, and watched with her eyes very wide open in amazement, as she was exposed to her first encounter
with a live, large shark.
I was standing in about a foot of water on top of the first bar, and the silvery black-tipped fin swam right by
us, at 2 feet away, just over the bar drop off. The shark swam between us and the beach face. We were no
threat to the shark and he was no threat to us. We could see the graceful movements of the animal as it swam
by, staring at us with its cold dark eyes. We stared back with our warm human eyes as it swam on down the
bar with its curiosity satisfied. It disappeared from our concentrated sight, but not from our memories—and
it still lingers there crisply!
Dennis A. Taylor
Naturalist and Geologist
including the surf rods, rod holders, and beach chairs. We had our ice chests with food, water, and extra ice
to ice our catch down. Big Shell is where the entire beach is characterized by a change in the shell size pieces,
from little to big, in the multi-colored beach berms. In June the shark spawning schools in the 2nd and 3rd
cuts can reach sizes up to several hundred cartilaginous fish travelling in a group. All kinds of sharks are here
in the surf including sand tigers, lemons, hammerheads, bonnetheads, scallopheads, bulls, makos, and
blacktips. For our tablefare, we hoped to catch Florida Pompano, whiting, specks, and redfish to bring back
home for Mary Ann and Chris in the late evening.
We had set out the big rods and placed them in the rod holders. The surf was very gentle that day, with 3
rows only a half foot high. The water was crystal clear. While waiting for the big hits on our surf rods, I
would fish with lighter tackle for smaller fish. I would wade out to the first sand bar, and cast with a spoon
for specks and Spanish mackerel while Laura would play in the clear water behind the first bar, between
where I was wade fishing and the main beach face, in water up 3 feet deep.
As I cast the silver spoon 50 yards down the backside of the first bar, I caught glimpse of a large shadowy
figure moving behind the spoon as it traveled through the clear water. At that point Laura was playing in the
deeper water on the drop off from the first bar into the first cut.
The large fish seem to hover in the 3 feet of water behind the bar, and so I had Laura climb up on the bar
with me, and then she climbed up my back and stood with her toes hooked into my belt on my wade-fishing
shorts. She peered over my right shoulder from a height that gave her an excellent vantage point to see what
was going on in the clear water 40 yards down the bar.
I cast the large silver spoon with my left arm and hand past the shape in the water, and, as I brought the lure
past the fish, the bright flashes and movement of the Johnson spoon piqued the animal's curiosity. He left the
larger school of bait fish that was creating interest to check the spoon out.
As this all transpired, the fish shadow transformed into a large, five foot, blacktip shark before our very eyes.
I told Laura to hold very still and not move so as not to draw attention to us. Laura became very quiet and
still, and watched with her eyes very wide open in amazement, as she was exposed to her first encounter
with a live, large shark.
I was standing in about a foot of water on top of the first bar, and the silvery black-tipped fin swam right by
us, at 2 feet away, just over the bar drop off. The shark swam between us and the beach face. We were no
threat to the shark and he was no threat to us. We could see the graceful movements of the animal as it swam
by, staring at us with its cold dark eyes. We stared back with our warm human eyes as it swam on down the
bar with its curiosity satisfied. It disappeared from our concentrated sight, but not from our memories—and
it still lingers there crisply!
Dennis A. Taylor
Naturalist and Geologist
| 10. Tami Sawyer, "Shark and Jelly" |
| Featured: Ink & Airbrush |