[Athena E.]

Fact of the Day: The Jaws shark isn’t a great white?!​

Half a century after the movie’s release, the Jaws poster is still a pop culture powerhouse—gracing dorm rooms, media dens, and film buffs’ collections worldwide.

But the shark in that iconic artwork is actually modelled after a shortfin mako shark, not the infamous great white from the movie. The truth comes straight from Ryan Thoni, curatorial associate of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History. The very specimen that inspired the art still resides in their collection today—its toothy grin forever immortalised, and forever fooling millions of us.

Source: @AmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory / YouTube​

 

[Mikev]

I always thought it was

 

[PLK]

Thank you for the information

 

[KarenD]

Shortfin Mako Shark

 

[Doug one]

Mako.

 

[novezar]

A bloody gruesome one.