06/05/2024
"Shark Lady" Eugenie Clark -- one of the leading marine biologists of her generation -- was born today in 1922. Clark was especially known for her pioneering research on sharks, an animal that had enthralled her since she was a child. Born in New York City in 1922, Clark was the daughter of a Japanese mother and an American father and she credited Japanese culture's love of the ocean for fostering her early interest in marine biology. As a young child, she often spent her Saturdays at the New York Aquarium imagining what it would be like to swim with the sharks.
She studied zoology in college and hoped to attend Columbia University for her postdoctoral studies until a scientist there told her, “If you do finish, you will probably get married, have a bunch of kids, and never do anything in science after we have invested our time and money in you.” Instead, she went on to earn a PhD from New York University and conduct graduate research in the South Pacific. Her 1953 book, “Lady With A Spear,” about her experiences there became an international bestseller.
When she took a job with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, it was a thrilling but dangerous time in diving history: at one point, she nearly drowned when her air hose malfunctioned. She also encountered more institutional sexism that came with being one of the only female researchers in a heavily male-dominated field. Women were even prohibited from going on overnight research trips and to destinations like the Galápagos Islands.
In the 1950s, Clark became the founding director of the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Florida and began the shark studies that have become her most enduring legacy. At the time, Clark explained, "People generally thought that sharks are dumb eating machines. After some study, I began to realize that these 'gangsters' of the deep had gotten a bad rap." Later, when the 1975 movie “Jaws” ignited a new terror of shark attacks in the general public, she turned to their defense; one of her National Geographic stories was titled “Sharks: Magnificent and Misunderstood.”
Clark’s contributions to our understanding of sharks were dramatic. She discovered the first effective shark repellent, created from the secretions of a flatfish called the Moses sole. She also verified local stories in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula about “sleeping sharks” in undersea caves -- a discovery that debunked the belief that sharks had to keep moving in order to breathe. Clark was also a frequent public speaker, helping to dispel the myths that led to her beloved sharks being killed by the thousands.
She continued teaching until 1992 and continued diving nearly until her death in 2015 at the age of 92. She once famously said in a broadcast, “I figured if I'm in a wheelchair they can wheel me to the end of the boat and put a tack on my back and dump me over the side of the boat and I can go down to the bottom and I can study these fishes as long as I want.” She will forever be remembered for her dedication to teaching the world to admire these mysterious creatures of the deep: “The sea should be enjoyed, the animals in it. When you see a shark underwater, you should say how lucky I am to see this beautiful animal in his environment.”
Eugenie Clark's incredible story has been told to children in a gorgeously illustrated picture book for ages 4 to 8 at https://www.amightygirl.com/shark-lady-fearless-scientist
For teen and adult readers, there is also an excellent book by Clark herself, "The Lady and the Sharks," at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-lady-and-the-sharks
To introduce children and teens to more inspiring female scientists, check out our blog post, "Inspire Her Curiosity: 60 Books to Inspire Science-Loving Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914
For many books for kids about the importance of protecting the environment, including the oceans, visit our special feature on the "Top Children's Books on the Environment" at https://www.amightygirl.com/mighty-girl-picks/top-children-s-books-on-the-environment
