Are they the hunters or the ones being hunted? Few people realize that more than 100 million sharks are killed each year by mankind. This is largely due to the market for shark purposes. Millions more die as bycatch in nets intended for other species. These sharks are often thrown overboard as garbage.
By comparison, there are typically fewer than 10 fatal shark attacks on humans recorded in an average year.
Surprised? don’t be Sharks are widely misrepresented and misunderstood. Read on We’ve got 10 shark facts we’re willing to bet you didn’t know. Let’s separate some of the fiction from the facts…
1. He’s older than you think…
Over 400 million years of evolution have refined shark species to be perfectly suited to the various aquatic environments in which they are found. Compare that to human history. The cavemen from whom we descend only stood on two legs about 6 million years ago.
2. The Mighty Megalodon
Compared to the now extinct Megalodon, the Great White is a pussycat. The largest shark that ever lived, they could grow up to 30 meters long. A grown man could easily have stood inside the gaping mouth of a full-grown Megalodon.
3. Jaws spits, she doesn’t swallow
Sadly, the majestic great white shark is still regarded by many as a mindless, murderous killing machine. There was a time not long ago when humanity also feared the predators at the top of the food chain that walked the earth. Tigers, lions, polar bears were slaughtered without thinking about the effect this would have on the ecosystems of which they were (and are) an important part. Slowly, they are being protected, rather than executed.
When a great white shark bites a swimmer, surfer, or their board, it’s often a case of mistaken identity. Seen from below, a surfer on a board can look a lot like a big, fat, tasty seal. Great whites are so evolved that when they bite their prey, they have an idea of how much body fat the creature is carrying.
When they take a bite out of a human, they often don’t bother to “finish the job.” We are rather bony, not fat and juicy like seals. So they spit on us. Unfortunately, we are left with a rather nasty wound, often miles from shore…
4. You can’t see me…
Even when sharks can’t see you…they can still feel you. As sharks evolved, they developed a “sixth sense.” Lorenzi’s ampoules might sound like an exotic Italian dish. It’s not. They are the receptors that sharks use to detect electromagnetic signals that go unnoticed by humans and other species.
Sharks are said to be able to “feel” how fast your heart is beating when they swim alongside you. Hammerheads have been observed hunting for rays buried under the sand, using their ability to spot where their next potential meal is hiding. Once they’ve pinpointed the location, they (literally) hammer the line under the sand using the two-pronged hammer that is their head. Incapacitated, the unfortunate lightning bolt becomes lunch.
As they say, you can run, but you can’t hide… at least not from a hungry hammerhead shark!
5. Sharks don’t get cancer.
OK, not 100% true, but close. Scientists forced sharks to ingest known carcinogens and injected them with deadly toxins. However, there are still fewer than 10 verified reports of sharks developing malignant tumors. Humanity has a lot to gain by studying these fascinating fish, rather than culling them.
6. Bad tooth? Grow some more!
If you have a cat, you know how much hair it can shed. A similar phenomenon can be observed in many shark species. It is not surprising that they lose teeth while eating or as they age. What is unusual is that they have the ability to grow larger.
7. Is that a shark in the lake?
Bull sharks are a species of shark that has evolved the ability to regulate the amount of water in their bodies, regardless of how much salt is in their aquatic environment. That means they can enter rivers and even swim upstream to lakes in search of food. Lake Nicaragua and the Zambezi River in Africa are two places where sharks are reported to navigate quite comfortably.
8. You suck. And you are loud.
A shark’s sense of smell goes beyond what humans can imagine. Some species can sense blood in the water at a concentration of one part per 10 billion. That means that a person with even an open scratch would be detected by any shark within a very wide radius, very quickly. Sharks can be found in almost every ocean environment on earth. The people too. Swim, fish or dive. However, there are relatively very few attacks on people.
Senseless and indiscriminate murderers? I do not think so.
While a scuba diver using a breathing unit is relatively quiet, conventional scuba gear is noisy for those who live in the underwater world. This is part of the reason why it can be so difficult to spot and photograph sharks. To them, we sound like a truck roaring by, with our bubbles and noisy breathing.
9. We will eat anything
It depends. Tiger sharks have earned an especially infamous reputation as “opportunistic” eaters. Tires, baby whales, shoes and sailors. Whatever it is, most likely it was found in the belly of a tiger.
With that being said, the gentle giants of the sea and the biggest fish on land are the whale sharks. They don’t have teeth. Being filter feeders, they filter plankton from the sea as they swim. They are beautiful creatures that will tolerate divers and (sometimes) divers swimming alongside them. Sadly, they are now threatened with extinction in many places where they once swam in healthy numbers.
10. Be afraid, be very afraid. No wait. do not be…
Large sharks, like any wild animal that is a top predator and carnivore, should be given a healthy degree of respect. Especially when divers get dressed, jump into the sea, and essentially arrive (uninvited) at their homes. If a pack of tigers fell through my roof without warning and proceeded to follow me around my house, I’d get a little nervous too.
Essentially, this is what we do when we enter the ocean. Sharks, like other land creatures, don’t look for a fight. They will obviously defend themselves if cornered or threatened. Show sharks the respect they deserve and there’s a good chance they’ll return the favor.
**ADDITIONAL DATA**
In 2014, 33,000 Americans were injured in some way due to using toilets. Sharks were responsible for a whopping 13 injuries. Just putting it out there…
