Long feared as an object of terror, sharks are now gaining a new reputation as a species whose numbers are being decimated with unprecedented speed. This decline comes at a time when we are beginning to learn more about the complexity of their behavior and to dispel the myth of the shark as "a mindless eating machine." The Cousteau oceanographic team of divers and scientists travels to Rangiroa in French Polynesia and to South Africa to explore the role of this keystone species in the ocean and to other life forms, to study behavioral patterns, examine the complexity of their intelligence and to seek out possible reasons behind the decreases in their population.
