Shark Week: Five Fin-credible Facts

Did you know there are more than 500 species of sharks? They can be found in every ocean in the world and can even live in freshwater environments. Sharks are highly adaptable animals that have lived on this planet for over 400 million years, coming in all shapes and sizes, with capabilities to survive in almost any given environment. For #SharkWeek, keep your mind (or teeth) sharp and learn about five species that are sure to take your breath away (insert Jaws them song…)

Great White Shark

When a great white shark is born, it immediately swims away from its mother. This isn't rare for many sharks, as they grow very early. At birth a baby great white shark is about five feet (1.5 meters) long; as it grows it can reach a length up to four times that (20 feet). They are born near the top of the food chain, but to make it to adulthood, the pup must avoid other predators-including other great white sharks.

They utilize the element of surprise as they hunt, their electromagnetic sense to sense heart activity, and their strong sense of smell to find their prey in the ocean. These sharks don't chew their food-they rip off chunks of meat, swallow them whole, and can then last almost two months without another big meal (new shark diet coming soon).

Great white shark in Guadalupe, Mexico. Credit: Leighton Lum

Whale Shark

The largest fish in the world is the graceful whale shark. Though they reach the size of a school bus (no, seriously), whale sharks eat tiny plankton and fish eggs, which they consume by filter feeding as they swim slowly with their massive mouths completely wide open. They are one of only three species of filter-feeding sharks in the world.

Whale sharks are unique in that they are covered with hundreds of white spots, and every individual has their own specific spot pattern (like freckles for humans). In fact, whale shark researchers utilize specialized computer software, originally designed for star mapping, to identify individual whale sharks from photos utilizing their spot patterns.

Whale sharks swimming alongside a fisherman in the Philippines. Credit: Leighton Lum

Hammerhead Shark

The hammerhead's eye placement, on each end of its very wide (and long) head, allows it to scan more area even quicker than any other shark. The hammerhead shark also has more electromagnetic sensors across its head than other species, which helps it detect and triangulate prey extremely well in the ocean.

This shark's name comes from the unusual shape of its head, an amazing piece of anatomy that has been adapted to maximize the fish's ability to find its favorite meal: stingrays (maybe their nickname can become nails..). Hammerhead sharks use their wide heads for hunting and can quickly spot prey and pin them to the sea floor, which is vital to their success in feeding.

A scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Credit: Kevin Lino NOAA/Flickr

Nurse Shark

Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are generally harmless to humans. They are found in warmer, shallow waters in the ocean, typically in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans. Although they stay in shallower waters, they can be huge-up to 14 feet-and have extremely powerful jaws filled with thousands of tiny, serrated teeth.

They use their strong jaws to break down shellfish and sometimes coral but prefer to regularly eat fish, shrimp, and squid. They are gray-brown and have distinctive tail fins that can be up to one-fourth of their total body length. Unlike most sharks, nurses are very smooth to the touch (disclaimer: don't try this at home). Although abundant in numbers, due to their habit of being closer to shores, human activity is putting pressure on the species.

A nurse shark in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Nick Zachar/NOAA

Bull Shark

Bull sharks have a diverse diet, including dolphins, sea turtles, and even other sharks (carnivorous, but diverse for a shark, ok?). They live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters and have been known to even swim into freshwater rivers, especially those with brackish, semi-salted qualities.

All sharks must keep salt in their bodies to survive, and most can only live in saltwater oceans. However, bull sharks have developed special adaptations-through their kidney function and special glands near their tails-that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they're swimming in freshwater (imagine having an internal hydration tank when working out).

A bull shark swimming with remoras. Credit: Earth Touch/Flickr

Want to learn more about sharks? Check out some of our other fincredible blogs!

• Test Your Shark Skills
• Not So Scary After All: Shark Facts You Might Not Know
• Sharks in the Parks

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