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  • NARRATOR: But everyone loves Lucy.

  • The story of this great white is the classic "Finding Nemo"

  • tale, but about 2,000 pounds heavier.

  • When divers spotted Lucy back in 2008,

  • her distinctive tail wound looked fresh.

  • And she seemed in desperate need of a good meal.

  • A damaged caudal often puts a shark's life in danger.

  • It's crucial for propelling a shark through water.

  • APRYL BOYLE: Lucy's its tail deformity

  • could be from fighting with another shark

  • when she was younger.

  • NARRATOR: And Lucy's not only survived, she's thrived.

  • She did it by modifying the way she swims to sway a little more

  • than the average great white.

  • And now Lucy's adoring public keeps

  • an eye out for her signature floppy fin

  • and her unique swagger.

  • Unlike other female great whites,

  • Lucy returns to Guadalupe Island every year.

  • And that is because she has not given birth yet.

  • If she did, she'd be gone at least 12 to 18 months,

  • because that's how long a shark pregnancy lasts.

  • NARRATOR: Fans don't know for sure

  • why Lucy is still not a mom.

  • It could be that male sharks are turned

  • off by her misshapen fin.

  • Or maybe Lucy hasn't yet met Zapata,

  • the most famous and recognizable male great white

  • of Guadalupe Island.

  • This tough guy is a 14-footer, who has mixed it up

  • with other apex predators and has

  • the battle scars to prove it.

  • RALPH COLLIER: Zapata is a very large shark.

  • To sustain the wounds it received,

  • the attacking shark must have been very large, possibly

  • 18 or 20 feet in length.

  • NARRATOR: He might not play well with other sharks.

  • But luckily, unlike Bullet, Zapata actually

  • enjoys hanging out with people.

  • That's my favorite shark right there, Zapata.

  • NARRATOR: Scarboard, at an intimidating 18 feet long,

  • isn't just one of the most massive sharks

  • at Guadalupe Island, she's one of the biggest

  • great whites in the world.

  • But like all sharks, no one will know for sure how old

  • she is until after she dies.

  • RALPH COLLIER: One of the ways to determine the age of a shark

  • is by dissecting it.

  • If we cut through a vertebra, we can

  • see rings similar to those of a tree showing annual growth.

  • She got her nautically themed name

  • because of scars on the right, or starboard, side of her body.

  • APRYL BOYLE: When sharks engage in head-to-head combat,

  • they can do incredible damage to each other, which

  • is what happened to Scarboard.

  • But sharks have amazing healing abilities.

  • NARRATOR: Scarboard shows up at Guadalupe every other year.

  • And the next time you see her, many of her scars

  • might be gone.

  • Bullet, Lucy, Zapata, and Scarboard,

  • four sharks whose physical flaws grabbed our attention.

  • and helped make them famous.

NARRATOR: But everyone loves Lucy.

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