Information About Sharks

Have you been fascinated by sharks? If yes, then you’ve landed up at the right place. Sharks are known for their sharp-teeth, large body and even more for the killing incidents. They have been dominating the aquatic world for more than 300 million years, i.e. even before dinosaurs. Like humans rule the land, sharks rule the ocean. However, people fear sharks due to hair raising killing stories. On the contrary, most of the sharks are shy. Yes, if this comes as a surprise, hold on, as there are many more interesting facts and information about this aquatic marvel. These mysterious creatures of the deep have always been surrounded by mystery, awe, superstition and myth. To unravel some hidden truths about Sharks, read on.

Till now, there are about 350 different kinds of sharks known to mankind, but researchers consider that there are other sharks that haven’t been discovered yet.
Sharks belong to ‘Chondrichhye’ class of fish.
A shark has two dorsal fins on its back, one pectoral fin beneath its body, (however all species don’t have this fin) and the caudal fin as its tail.
A shark doesn’t have a single bone in its body, however, has a skeleton made up of cartilage.
The majority of sharks live for about 25 years; however, some sharks can live up to 100 years.
The dwarf shark is as small as a human hand, while the whale shark can be as large as a truck.

A shark is amongst the best hunters in the world. Even the baby sharks move out looking for food.
A shark’s hunger can be gratified with one good meal. Since sharks use little energy to swim, their meal lasts for long time. Some sharks can hold food in their stomachs, without being digested. If they have a big meal, it can last for 3 or more months.
Sharks do not sleep the way, humans do. It might appear that they are sleeping but they are actually just resting.
Sharks are strong and healthy creatures. No other living creature, not even human being, can take better care of itself; what a shark can do. Similar to humans, sharks are at the top of the food chain.
Some sharks lay eggs, while majority of them give birth to babies. Some shark species, like the Hammerhead and the Tiger shark, can give birth to 40 babies at a time, while the others can give birth to 6-12.
Nearly all kinds of sharks can swim up to 20-40 miles per hour. The Mayo shark and the Blue shark are believed to be capable of swimming at more than 60 miles per hour.
Seeing that Sharks never get cancer, their cartilage is being studied in the hope of developing anti-cancer drugs.
The bull shark is the only shark that can survive in both, fresh as well as salt water.
The largest shark teeth about 6 inches long, which have been found, belonged to a Carcharodon Magaloden shark. This shark, now extinct, is known to be the largest shark (40 feet long); it lived between 25 million and 1.6 million years ago.
Since sharks’ bodies are heavier than the sea, they sink if they stop moving. To stay afloat, sharks must keep moving.
The Whale shark weighs about 90,000 pounds. It is known to be the biggest fish in the world.
Earlier, dried shark skin (shagreen) used to be utilized as sandpaper. In countries like Japan and Germany, shark skin was used to make sword handles for getting a non-slip grip.
The Basking shark is the second largest fish known to humankind; it is as long as 40 feet.
A shark’s skin is usually covered by small and razor-sharp teeth called denticles. Once these teeth are removed from the shark’s body, the rest of the skin is made into strong leather.
A shark’s teeth are usually replaced every week. In fact, some species of sharks shed about 30,000 teeth in their life span.
People fear sharks because they hear stories about killing humans. However, most of the sharks are actually not dangerous.
Sharks often attack man than woman; however, there is no substantial reason behind it. More than 90% of people, who are attacked by sharks, survive.

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