Facts About Sharks

chapter 9

Shark Facts #19. Sharks have quite a few more senses than humans do. One comes from lateral line organs, which act like an internal barometer. When solid objects glide through the water, they create waves of pressure that a shark can feel with the sensitivity of a physical touch. By sensing these pressure waves, a shark can detect both the movement and direction of the object!

Shark Facts #18. Not all sharks are easily identifiable as predators, especially the cookiecutter shark, which can camouflage itself. The shark's underside glows, with the exception of a small strip on its neck that looks like a much smaller fish. Predators mistake this strip for a snack, and the cookiecutter takes a bite of their flesh before swimming away.

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Shark Facts #17. If the whale shark is the largest species, then pygmy sharks are among the tiniest! They measure an average of 8 inches (20 centimeters) in length and the can make their own light, a phenomenon that's especially helpful as pygmy sharks will dive more than a mile underwater to hunt.
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Shark Facts #16. A new species of hammerhead shark was discovered in 2006 through DNA testing. An official confirmation is still in the waiting.
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Shark Facts #15. Sharks move like airplanes! A shark creates forward movement by moving its tail, which acts like a propeller. As the shark moves forward, water moves over its fins as though they were wings, creating lift. See video at shark fact #30
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Shark Facts #14. Researchers have discovered common objects, like tires, gasoline tanks and license plates, left in one piece inside the stomachs of tiger sharks.
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Shark Facts #13. Scientists can track sharks using an investigative technique called geographic profiling, which pinpoints locations where attacks might happen, although attacks are not common. In great whites, those locations are other animals' travel routes and landmarks like reefs and channels.
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Shark Facts #12. Hammerhead sharks are famous for their oddly shaped heads, called cephalofoils, really make them better hunters. The electrical sensors the sharks use to pinpoint their prey are spread out along the cephalofoil's wide surface area, giving them better prey detection skills.

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Shark Facts #11. Sharks are especially susceptible to the moon's control of ocean tides. The phase of the moon can affect sharks' eating habits and draw them closer to shore ... which in turn, could lead to increased interactions with humans.
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Shark Facts #10. The average shark lives to be 25 years old, but some can get as old as 100! They live so long because their chances of contracting a disease are low. Their skeleton is made up entirely of cartilage, which drastically lowers the likelihood of developing a tumor and strengthens their immunity.