Facts

Due to wrong publicity, sharks have a bad reputation. However, as you learn their main facts you will appreciate them for what they really are. Sharks spend their entire lives in the ocean doing all they can to survive and they have performed that single task quite well.

1. Sharks are Fish.

They don’t come to the surface for air like some marine mammals, because sharks are fish. Like any other fish, they rely upon their gills to allow them to breathe while under the water.

2. Sharks are Survivors.

There is evidence to suggest that sharks have been on Earth for more than 450 million years. This means that they are older than dinosaurs!

3. Sharks have Cartilaginous Skeleton.

Shark skeleton is not made of strong, heavy bones like terrestrial vertebrates. Instead, they have skeletons made of cartilage, a flexible and lighter tissue which is also consider bone and that give sharks the speed underwater and the flexibility they need to be their ruthless predators they are.

4. Shark Teeth are very dynamic.

The teeth of a shark are in long rows. As teeth are ground down or they fall out, new ones from the other rows come forward to fill the slot. This continues for their entire lives. Sharks can grow more than 20,000 teeth in a lifetime. Both the upper and lower jaws move and they are more powerful than any other creature in the world.

5. There is a Shark Size for every taste.

The smallest shark is the Dwarf Lantern Shark which is only about 7 inches long. The largest shark is the Whale Shark which is almost 40 feet in length. The Whale Shark is also the largest fish alive.

6. Sharks have amazing adaptation capabilities.

Sharks can rapidly adapt to new environments when looking for food. The Bull Shark can live in both fresh water and salt water regions.

7. Some Sharks have an impressive Life Span

The Spiny Dogfish Shark can live more than 100 years. This is exceptional when you consider the average life span of most species is 20 years.

8. Sharks are not only Ruthless Eaters.

Extensive testing shows that sharks are very intelligent creatures. They have the ability to use problem solving skills. They are also very curious about elements of their environment. Shark brains are not rounded like human brains, they are long and narrow shaped.

9. Sharks can socialize.

While the majority of sharks hunt alone, they have been documented working as a team to move large prey to a safe location for feeding. They are often seen playing and having fun with each other which shows a completely other side to them.

10. Sharks Sleep.

Sharks do sleep, but they do so with their eyes open. Only one side of the brain sleeps at a time so that they are able to continue the cycle of taking in air as they rest.

11. Sharks Dive Deep

Sharks generally reside in the waters from 7,000 feet to 10,000 feet. They are rarely found higher or lower than that. When they are seen at other elevations is it due to the fear of danger or to find food. Most of the time we see sharks in the surface is while they are searching for food.

12. Sharks have Bad Reputation.

Less than 100 people are attacked annually by sharks with about 10% of them resulting in fatalities. The majority of them aren’t provoked by humans in any way. Only a handful of species of sharks are responsible for such attacks. Most of the species out there have never been noted to attack a human.  In 2007 there was only one casualty related with a shark attack in the world. These numbers do not match with the man eater fame of Sharks.

13. Some Shark Species are endangered.

Many species of sharks are endangered due to illegal killing of them in large numbers.

Besides, It is believed that many species of sharks die due to developing various forms of cancer.

14. Shark Skin has been vital for Survival.

The skin of sharks is very rough. This is to offer it protection from other animals including other sharks. This is why shark skin was once used as sand paper. Whale shark skin can be up to 10 cm thick, which makes it the thickest skin in the world.

15. Sharks are Apex Predators.

Sharks are opportunistic when it comes to finding food. They will even eat each other if they can’t find anything else to fill up their bellies.

16. Shark Reproduce in three different ways

Depending on the species of shark, the young who are called pups may be:

•          Born alive from their mother (Viviparity)

•          Develop from an egg inside of their mother and then be born (Ovoviviparity)

•          The mother will lay an egg and the pup is born from that (Oviparity)

Some species of shark only have one pup at a time. Others can have more than 100 at a time.

Sharks do not take care of their young. The young pups are on their own from the moment that they are born.