Sharks

facts about

By Laura Collins
August 14, 2020
great white, jaws, megalodon, shark teeth, shark week, sharks, whale shark

We sing about an entire family of sharks to an incredibly catchy beat. We hum the Jaws theme in the pool. We know that some sharks declare that “fish are friends, not food.” We get excited every year for Shark Week. We’re still not sure why there are so many Sharknado movies.

But when you stop and think about it, how much do you really know about sharks? Here’s some facts to sink your teeth into …

‎There are 440 known species of sharks, which can be divided into eight different categories.
‎Sharks can be found all over the world, and are in every single ocean.
‎While most breeds of sharks live only in salt water, the River Shark can be found only in the freshwater rivers in Asia and Australia.
‎The whale shark holds the title of “largest living fish” in the ocean.
‎Despite being made of cartilage, sharks do fossilize, meaning we can find remains of their skeletons long after they’ve died. This is because, as sharks get older, calcium starts to build up in the cartilage to harden it.
‎Shark skeletons are actually made of cartilage instead of bone (the same stuff human ears and noses are made of).
‎Sharks have placoid scales, which are flatter and smoother than most fish scales and make the shark skin feel like sandpaper. This helps sharks move in the water by reducing friction. This is why they are so fast.
‎The Greenland Shark is the slowest shark on the planet, but it lives longer — up to 272 years.
‎Sharks can only swim forwards.
‎Sharks also can’t sleep. If they went to sleep, they would drown. Instead, when they rest, they enter a state of semi-consciousness that keeps them moving forward and able to breathe through their gills.
‎Sharks have seven rows of teeth, and can lose over 30,000 teeth in a lifetime.
‎The largest shark to ever live was the Megalodon, which went extinct over 2.6 million years ago. Megalodons could grow up to 60 feet long. Modern Great White sharks only get to be 20 feet long.
‎‎The name ‘Megalodon’ is a reference to the large size of their teeth. Megalodon teeth are the State Fossil of North Carolina.
‎However, the Goblin Shark is even older than the Megalodon, and this breed is still around today. Goblin Sharks are considered “Living Fossils” due to how long their species has been around. They live mostly on the ocean floor. While they’re considered rare, they’re not considered an endangered species.
‎Female sharks are typically larger than male sharks.
‎The Bull Shark can survive in both freshwater and saltwater. In 1937, two fishermen in Illinois caught a Bull Shark that had swam 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River. Fortunately, modern-day dams have prevented Bull Sharks from traveling that far since then.
‎Large shark breeds live longer than small shark breeds.
‎In 2010, a new species of shark — the American Pocket Shark — was discovered. They only grow to 5 and a half inches, and they glow in the dark.
‎Every Whale Shark has their own unique pattern, like a fingerprint.
‎Hippos, deer and cows attack people more often than sharks — and are usually deadlier.
‎However, humans are the biggest threat to sharks.