PROFILE: Eugenie Clark Born: May 4, 1922
From: New York, USA 
Sometimes, a love from your childhood can go on to become your life’s greatest work, and there’s perhaps no better example than that of Dr. Eugenie Clark.
Eugenie was also known as Shark Lady due to her incredible research into the study of the behaviour of sharks, as well as being a well-regarded Ichthyologist (ick-thee-ol-oh-gist – someone who studies fish). After her father passed away, she was raised by her mother Yumico and kept collections of fish in their New York apartment. Her love of the sea was born from a visit to the New York Aquarium, where Eugenie would visit every single week. Apparently, most of her school reports were about marine life!
After she graduated from Hunter College, Eugenie was keen to learn more. She applied to graduate school at Columbia University, but was rejected over worries that she would leave the scientific field to have children! She went to New York University and earned a Master of Arts and doctoral degree AND had four children without leaving her field!
Eugenie learned to swim at just two years old, a skill that would serve her well in the future. She was a pioneer in scuba diving for research purposes. And she stuck at it for a long time, completing her last scuba dive aged 92, before she passed away in 2015. She completed more than 70 deep-sea dives and even more as a scuba diver.
Eugenie worked tirelessly to try and change the public’s perception of sharks. She hoped her work would help stop the killing of sharks and make people realize they were actually cleverer than they seemed, not the unintelligent eating machines they’re portrayed as in films.
You might have heard that sharks don’t sleep, and if they don’t stop moving, they’ll die… that’s a theory that Eugenie proved wrong! She discovered an underwater cave in Mexico where sharks would sleep. She also discovered a kind of fish known as the Moses Sole which releases a chemical in self-defence that repels sharks! Eugenie thought this chemical could be used to help save people from shark attacks, but it wouldn’t remain strong enough to be totally effective.
Eugenie’s story is proof that if you follow your dreams, anything is possible!
- What was Eugenie Clark also known as?
- What is a person who studies fish called?
- Where was Eugenie raised after her father died?
- Where did Eugenie visit every single week?
- Why was Eugenie rejected by the graduate school at Columbia University?
- What did Eugenie do to prove Columbia University was wrong?
- What was Eugenie a pioneer of?
- What theory did Eugenie prove to be wrong about sharks?
- How old was Eugenie when she completed her last scuba dive?
- Why did Eugenie work tirelessly to change the public’s perception of sharks?