Summary

  • Monster Mako: Fresh Blood and Belly of the Beast showcase the strength and drive of mako and white sharks, revealing their fascinating dynamics and behaviors.
  • The man-made whale carcass used in Belly of the Beast was designed to study great white feeding activity, and scientist Dr. Austin Gallagher had a first-hand experience with the sharks during the experiments.
  • Gallagher’s idea for the fake whale carcass had been kicking around for a couple of years before it was realized, and it was successful in attracting and studying great white sharks, with the potential for further modifications in the future.


Shark Week returns for another bite on Discovery with a number of new programs including Monster Mako: Fresh Blood and Belly of the Beast. Monster Mako: Fresh Blood explores the fascinating dynamic between massive mako sharks and great whites off the coast of California, and Belly of the Beast shows the use of a first-of-its-kind man-made whale carcass designed for studying great white feeding activity. Both shows showcase the strength and drive of mako and white sharks alike, and put scientists up close and personal with the animals.


Both Monster Mako: Fresh Blood and Belly of the Beast heavily feature marine scientist Dr. Austin Gallagher. Gallagher is the CEO and founder of the non-profit organization Beneath the Waves and has participated in a number of Shark Week programs like Tiger Queen, Brad Paisley’s Shark Country, and The Daily Bite. In Belly of the Beast, Gallagher himself was in the man-made carcass and had a front-row seat to a number of great white feeding frenzies.



Dr. Austin Gallagher spoke with FilmmakerFocus about Belly of the Beast and Monster Mako: Fresh Blood, working with sharks, and more.