All It Takes Is $5,000 to Bet on New Shark Racing Fad

Ready to take a bite out of a whole new type of wagering?

Nova Southeastern University, the Guy Harvey Research Institute, and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation have teamed up to organize a shark race which you Joe Q. Public can bet on. All it'll cost you is $5,000 to buy in, which gets you a chip to track your shark whose progress will be monitored by satellite.

Speed isn't actually the most important quality here, either. The winner will be the shark that travels the farthest over a six-month period. The race itself gets underway April 2 and the winner will be rewarded for his acumen in picking the best shark racer with free fishing trip in the Florida Keys.

Lest you think this is animal cruelty, the money will go toward research to study sharks. Mahmood Shivji, a professor at Nova Southeastern and the director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute tells the Broward/Palm Beach New Times:

We want to have some fun but even more importantly use the race to bring added awareness to the plight of these magnificent animals. It's vital that we learn the migratory patterns and other aspects of these animals' lives so we can ensure they survive and thrive for years to come."

Hey, if people can do this with horses and dogs, why not sharks? Maybe ant racing will become a thing one day, too, for all those entomologist geeks out there.

In the meantime, try and get your Jaws paws on five grand and, like a five-year-old knee deep in boogers, see if you can pick a winner.