Shark-obsessed biologist breaks record after tattooing tribute to each creature she meets

When Emily Morrison (USA) was eight years old, the movie Jaws (1975) scared her away from the ocean. She remembers saying to her father that “sharks will eat me”, terrified of how the great white in the film stalked the fictional townspeople of Amity Island, lurking in the waters with its beady eyes and sharp teeth.

Her father, however, said that was ridiculous – and took her to the library, asking her to find a real reason to hate the animal. 

In between pages of the book and scrolls of the computer screen, little Emily would cry out frightening facts about sharks to her dad: some species are older than trees, or dinosaurs, she could’ve said, and some have up to 35,000 teeth during the course of their lives. 

Eventually, she was bursting with knowledge about the creatures – so much so, that her dad said she spoke about them with “such enthusiasm” that she didn’t seem to hate them anymore.

“With that said, I have always had a fascination with them – and the lack of information out there,” said Emily to GWR. “I am obsessed with the adaptations and the evolutionary path that sharks and cartilaginous fish have endured throughout the 450 million years of existence. 

“Why are living sharks the way that they are – and how they impact their specified environments – is fascinating to me. It’s never-ending information.”

Emily’s passion later turned into a career, and as she grew up she began working alongside the animals as a shark biologist. She also purchased a shark adventure tour company, which offers fossil dive charters off the coast of Venice, Florida, for those who want to search for fossilized shark and megalodon teeth. 

And throughout her life, she’s always worn her love for sharks on her skin… literally. 

As she finds shark teeth and interacts with different species, she gets them tattooed on to her body – and over the years, she’s accumulated an incredible spread. A total of 106 tattoos cover her body from foot to neck, turning her skin into a magnificent painted ocean and claiming the Guinness World Records title for the most sharks tattooed on the body (female). 

“I live a shark life,” explained Emily, and that would be an accurate statement. 

Saying that she is unable to work a normal 9-5 job, Emily started to take specified shark dive trips decades ago – and eventually, people said they wanted to go with her. Now, she spends most of her life on (or near) the water, hosting her tours and fossil charters with Shark Lady Enterprises, and working alongside the animals she loves so much.

Read more stories about record-breaking tattoos in our dedicated Human Body section!

The tattoos are a living representation of her passion, and she started getting them around the same time period that she began working with the animals professionally – back in 1999, when she was 19 years old. 

Starting with a great white on her lower back – a fitting ode to the beast from Jaws that inspired her whole career – Emily later began marking up her legs, arms, and shoulders with these beautiful creatures.

As of March, she has dozens of individual sharks dotting her skin, each a reflection of the distinct animals she interacted with in the wild. 

In all, a total of 71 different species are shown on her body, as well as 13 fossilized shark teeth and one fresh shark tooth. 

She says her favourites are her leg tattoos, which are in colour – but she’ll continue to keep adding to her collection until she has each of the 58 shark families tattooed, with seven left until she reaches her goal.

“Some of my favourite shark species are the great white, zebra shark, frilled shark, oceanic white tip, and so many more,” she explained. And over the years, she’s had many encounters with the creatures – none, however, that are dangerous or aggressive.

“I have fed tiger sharks and great hammerheads in the Bahamas, cage dove with great whites in Australia, swam with whale sharks off the coast of Mexico, and so much more,” she continued. 

And beyond the ocean (or the tattoo parlour), Emily’s love for the animal has also taken her to some legendary places – namely, the TV studio for Discovery Channel’s iconic Shark Week. 

When the annual week-long television event starts this Sunday, 26 July, you’ll be able to catch her appearance on My Strange Shark Addiction, as she discusses her tattoos and reputation as ‘Shark Lady Emily’.

“If you have a passion, try to turn that into a career – and you will always be happy!” she advised.

And we’re sure that with a lifetime of shark sightings ahead of her, Emily has many more exciting days to come.

So congratulations to this spirited shark-lover – Emily, you are Officially Amazing!