Although sharks are feared and reviled by many people around the world, they are amazing creatures that have been in the oceans for over 100 million years and are found in every ocean as well as some rivers and lakes. The unfortunate reputation currently shared by all sharks has been largely the result of superstition and misunderstanding.
Information on Sharks
Today after more research, scientists are beginning to view sharks as valuable and essential creatures in the biology of the oceans instead of just eating machines with fins. Studies have shown that sharks are intelligent creatures with learning abilities equal to that of birds. Sharks have no bones, their skeletons are made entirely of cartilage. Of the 368 different species of sharks, half of them are shorter than a yard long. Most sharks are roughly the size of humans at around 5 to 7-feet long. Whale sharks are the largest member of the species and can grow up to 50 feet long. Sharks don't sleep, but do have active and inactive periods. Some sharks have to keep moving to breathe while others can rest motionless on the sea floor.
A Sharks Diet
Different sharks eat different things around the world, but they are all carnivores. Sharks do not chew their food, they gulp it down, even though the average shark has about 3,000 teeth in five rows. Just because sharks have a lot of teeth doesn’t mean they all bite humans though, there are only about 25 species of sharks known to attack people. Far more humans are killed every year by bees and snakes than are killed by shark attacks.
Great White, Hammerhead, Bull & Tiger Sharks
The most dangerous and lethal sharks are great white sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and oceanic whitetip sharks. Gray sharks, blue sharks, hammerhead sharks, mako sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks and blacktip reef sharks also have been known to attack people. The most common culprits in attacks on humans are the bull sharks. The bull sharks live and swim in very shallow waters, the same water depth most frequented by human swimmers. With time, research, and more knowledge it is hoped that humans and sharks will learn to respect each other’s right to live and swim in the oceans of the world.