Did you know sharks predate dinosaurs! Yes, they were here before Littlefoot, Cera and Ducky! Sharks help maintain the eco-system balance in our oceans. Without sharks our oceans would change dramatically and not for the better. Here are some fun facts about sharks!
Sharks don't have bones. Instead, they have tough, flexible cartilage similar to the cartilage humans have in their ears and nose. Cartilage allows sharks to be more flexible so they can get closer to their prey.*
Most sharks are a shade of gray or brown. But sharks can be colorful, too. The goblin shark is bright pink, and mako sharks are a sleek metallic blue.
Thin-skinned politicians could learn a thing or two from sharks. Whale sharks have skin that's up to 3-1/2 inches thick – the thickest skin on any animal on land or sea.
The whale shark may live up to 150 years, making it one of the longest-living creatures on Earth.
Whale sharks are anything but aggressive. They ignore or swim away from humans when they see them.
Whale sharks are the world's biggest fish – and they have big families, too. One whale shark can give birth to 300 live shark pups in one litter. Mama!
The smallest sharks are the dwarf lantern shark and pygmy shark, which are only 6 inches long
Some sharks are notorious enough to have earned a nickname. Tiger sharks are often referred to as "garbage guts" because they'll eat just about anything – license plates, car parts and even tires have been found in their stomachs. Bull sharks are sometimes called shovelnoses because they hit their prey with their snouts.
Sharks have keen senses. They can hear low-frequency sounds from more than a mile away, and can smell things that are more than half a mile away. And they've got electro-perception, a sense that alerts them to the electrical impulses that all living things give off. These senses work together to give them amazing hunting and survival skills.
Talk about the silent treatment! Sharks don't have vocal chords, and no evidence has ever been gathered of sharks making vocal sounds.
Swell sharks swallow water and swell in size to intimidate their predators.
The jaws of large sharks are about twice as powerful as the jaws of a lion and can generate up to 40,000 pounds per square inch of pressure in a single bite.
Shark meat has an unpopular image as food, so fish markets and chefs change the name of shark meat to rock salmon, rock eel, huss or flake.