Facts About Sharks

100 Awesome Shark Guardian Shark Facts!

Shark Facts #100. While many of us have learned to fear sharks, they're the ones who should fear us. People are sharks' biggest predator. In fact, humans kill more than 73 million sharks annually.

Shark Facts #99. While the word "shark" may conjure up images of great whites and hammerheads, there are at least 500 shark species (perhaps even more) roaming the world's oceans today. They vary in size and even shape, but they all tend to share similar body characteristics like large livers, flexible cartilaginous skeletons and enhanced sensory systems.

Sharks Facts #98. Shark teeth are popular and often inexpensive beach souvenirs. Sharks shed their teeth constantly, and once one falls to the ocean floor, it's quickly covered with sand. It soaks up sediments like silica and calcite, which change the tooth's color from white to gray or brown.

Shark facts #97. Of the average 30 to 50 shark attacks reported each year, only 5 to 10 prove to be fatal. So while being bitten by a shark is rare, dying from a shark bite is even rarer.

Shark Facts #96. As sensational as shark attacks are in newspaper headlines, the reality is that you're more likely to be bitten by another person than a shark.

Shark Facts #95. While many people fear sharks and think of them as one of the world's most aggressive and deadly animals, the chances of dying from a shark attack fall well below the chances of being killed by hornets, wasps, bees or dogs.

Shark Facts #94. A few of the known shark species will drown if they stop moving. Great white, mako and salmon sharks don't have the muscles they need to pump water through their mouth and over their gills. As long as they keep swimming, water keeps moving over their gills, keeping them alive.

Shark Facts #93. Overfishing can have a dangerous effect on sharks. The whale shark, for example, has to live to be 30 years old before it can reproduce, and its life span lasts between 60 and 100 years. As a result, it can't reproduce fast enough to keep up with fishing demand.

Shark Facts #92. From 1580 to 2007, there were a reported 64 fatal great white shark attacks. Sharks haven't fared as well: When you count every species, millions of sharks are killed by humans every year.

Shark Facts #91. Sharks' livers contain lots of oil. This makes the liver a relatively buoyant organ, which helps sharks keep their balance in the water.

Shark Facts #90. Although it's heavily fictionalized, the film Jaws was based on a real incident in 1916, in which four people were killed by a shark off the New Jersey coastline.