Debate around the use of shark nets to protect swimmers in Australia has reignited after two great white sharks killed a surfer last month.

Cicadas, a possible flooded future, and the discovery of a hobbit-like human led the ten most popular National Geographic News stories in 2004.

In the animated movie Shark Tale, a tiny cleaner fish dreams of climbing the social ladder on a reef terrorized by sharks. The story may not be that far-fetched.

The new movie has one thing "Jaws" didn't: real sharks. Shielded only by protective suits, the actors were filmed swimming amid feeding frenzies.

Find out how to avoid a shark attack, what to do if you are bitten, and how to help attack victims.

The new movie has one thing "Jaws" didn't: real sharks. Shielded only by protective suits, the actors were filmed swimming amid feeding frenzies.

Mike Heithaus is used to the public image of sharks as mindless killing machines. But one thing he's learned from using Crittercam is that "sharks are a lot more boring than you'd expect."

When it comes to great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias), the news is both bad and good for surfers: While the curious animals often "taste test" unfamiliar objects, they rarely eat people. A related story airs Sunday, January 25, on our U.S. cable television program Be The Creature.

Shark Bay by its name alone may not sound like the most welcoming of habitats, but dugongs would beg to differ. Located on the western coast of Australia, Shark Bay contains vast seagrass meadows within its warm, shallow waters—just the right habitat for a myriad of marine animals, including the distinctive "sea cow," or dugong.

Sharks and mysteries of the universe captured the imaginations of National Geographic News readers in 2003. The ocean's most feared predator, Bigfoot, and other unusual subjects accounted for half of the top ten news stories of the year and vied for the number one slot. Read the full list of the ten most popular reader stories of 2003. Full story and photo gallery:

Husband-and-wife team Monique and Chris Fallows photograph giant sharks hurtling through the air to catch seals near the water's surface (includes interview and photo galleries).

Paleontologists have unearthed in Canada the world's oldest intact shark fossil—a 409-million-year-old specimen of a small, primitive species that was found with its braincase, jaws, and teeth attached in their correct anatomical position. The find answers and raises important questions about the origin of sharks.

Last May, a small fishing boat plied the waters of Mossel Bay, South Africa, in pursuit of great white sharks. Scientists hooked a seven-footer, fought it until it calmed, then towed it towards the 100-foot research vessel that waited nearby. Then, they hoisted it on deck with a hydraulic lift.

Sharks have survived some 400 million years on Earth. Could their longevity be due in part to an extraordinary resistance to cancer and other diseases? If so, humans might someday benefit from shark secrets—but leading researchers caution that today's popular shark cartilage "cancer cures" aren't part of the solution.

Along a shoreline in northwest Africa, scientists made a gruesome discovery: the carcasses of 230 dolphins, a pilot whale, and 15 endangered sea turtles. These animals were probably killed as "bycatch"—unwanted creatures accidentally hauled aboard fishing vessels. Bycatch totals at least 30 million tons of sea life each year.