Shark Facts



Shark Facts

Shark Facts

□ Habitat – surface, shorelines, temperate waters

□ Harmless – nurse shark : eats bottom-dwelling fish, shrimp,

squid, octopus, crabs, sea snails, lobster,

sea urchins, and coral.

whale & basking sharks: eat plankton

□ Most aggressive – bull, tiger, black-tipped, great white

SHARK EXTREMES

➢ BIGGEST LIVING SHARKS

The biggest shark is the whale shark (Rhincodon or Rhiniodon typus), which can be up to 50 feet (15 m) long.

➢ The second biggest fish and shark is the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) which is about 40 feet (12.3 m) long.

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SCARIEST SHARK EVER (NOW EXTINCT)

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The largest shark known was the Megalodon (Carcharodon or Carcharocles megalodon); it is now extinct. It was an ancient, meat-eating shark that lived between 25 million and 1.6 million years ago. It was up to 40 feet (12 m) long and its teeth were each the size of a person's hand!

FASTEST

The fastest swimming sharks are the mako sharks and blue sharks, which can even leap out of the water. Estimates of their speed varies; some say that they can swim at about 60 miles per hour (97 kph), while more conservative estimates are about 22 mph (35 kph).

The Great White

Myths:

➢ Attack boats

➢ Hunt & kill as in “Jaws”

with intent

➢ Swim around w/O2 tank

in mouth

➢ Facts:

➢ Eat seals & sea lions

➢ Prefer blubbery food

➢ Rip off chunks, Swallow whole; - do not chew

➢ Important predators of seals & salmon (food chain)

➢ Counter shading(dark from above, light from below)

□ Carcharhinus leucas the Zambezi Shark

a.k.a .bull shark

can tolerate freshwater conditions well

it has been sighted 2,500 miles (4000 km )

up the Amazon River.

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How to Avoid Shark Attacks ???!!!???

□ No blood in water

□ Don’t wear yellow & black

□ Stay close to shore, near help in case of trouble

□ Stay away from surface

□ Stay in groups

□ Stay away from roc ks

□ Don’t thrash around

□ Don’t wear shiny jewelry

□ Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours

□ Do not enter the water if sharks are known to be present

□ Do not harass a shark if you see one!

□

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Shark attack statistics, (white sharks) 1580 - 2000 website with world & regional maps with statistics





by species:



2005 statistics



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