All About Sharks: Get to Know the Ocean Creatures
They have pointy fins and lots of pointy teeth. Sharks are the ultimate ocean predators! They may seem scary, but you don’t have to be afraid. Here are some helpful facts to help you understand these sea creatures.
How many kinds of sharks are there in the ocean?
So many! More than 400 species of sharks swim in the sea. And they all are very different! Take the dwarf lantern shark, which may be the smallest. It’s about 6 inches (15 cm) long and brown colored. The whale shark has spots all over its body and is the biggest at about 30 feet (10 m) long — about the size of a school bus!
Where do they all live?
Sharks live all around the world. The creepy-looking goblin shark swims deep in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The medium-sized bull shark enjoys warm, shallow waters and can live in all types — fresh, salt, or brackish. The famous great white shark likes to stay in cool coastal waters. For these reasons, most shark attacks are by bulls or great whites.
How many shark attacks are there each year?
People around the world report about 80 shark attacks every year. However, it’s not because the animals have a taste for humans! A shark may mistake a person for its normal food (a seal), which a human on a surfboard can look very similar to. Sharks are very curious creatures too. Biting is their way of checking people out! Most shark attacks are not malicious, but the animals’ sharp teeth can still cause some damage!
Just how sharp are those teeth?
Very! However, not all teeth are the same. Some sharks have small, thick teeth to crush their shelled food. Because great whites and bulls eat seals, they have big, pointed teeth that are perfect for cutting. The larger sharks, like the basking and whale, only eat tiny creatures in the water, so they barely use their long, needle-like teeth.
So, are these animals dangerous?
Not exactly. In fact, humans are probably more dangerous to them. People kill about 73 million sharks each year for their fins, teeth, and skins. This has been decreasing shark populations, putting more than 60 species at risk of dying out! This could be bad because sharks keep the ocean food chain balanced. Just like humans, these creatures need protection too.