Interesting Facts About Sharks: Discover the Truth
Thanks to numerous horror films, sharks are the best-known marine predators. Movies depict them as monsters which are terribly dangerous for people, creating thus a bunch of myths that bear a slight relation to reality. Learn the most interesting, cool and even weird facts about sharks, dispel your many long-held misconceptions and find something surprising for you. We'll dive into some of the most fascinating information about sharks, so you can gain a greater understanding of these animals and their important role in the ocean ecosystem. Besides, you may not want to miss the part with the legendary megalodon.
Top 15 Amazing Facts
Megalodon became extinct about 2.6 million years ago. This legendary predator used to top the food chain for a while but failed to survive for many reasons.
Sharks can produce a special substance to block nociceptors. With this ability, they can simply ignore the pain.
Sharks can sense the Earth's magnetic field and skillfully use it as a compass to find their way around.
You'll never meet a famous white shark inside an aquarium — they simply die in captivity.
Sharks' teeth can vary dramatically in number depending on species: it's only 30 for some sharks, whereas others have up to 3 thousand!
The whale shark is the largest living fish but has tiny teeth of no more than six millimeters. It poses no danger to a human.
The lifetime of the Greenland shark can last between 250 and 500 years! It the longest-lived vertebrate known. These long-livers inhabit nearshore areas of the Arctic.
Megalodon was the largest shark species that ever existed on Earth. It could reach up to 30 meters in length.
Sharks grind their teeth to communicate with each other.
Some sharks can hunt seagulls: it picks up speed, jumps out of the water and snatches a gaping bird.
The number of casualties caused by shark attacks is lower than those due to bee stings and lightning strikes. Less than 10 people die from sharks every year. However, sharks are broadly recognized as bloody killers because of horrors.
Gestation takes up to 3,5 years for some species of sharks! This is the longest period of gestation known among vertebrates.
The bullhead shark features an unusual jaw structure — it has teeth growing only in the back row. Once a front tooth falls out, a tooth from the back row slowly takes its place.
The largest megalodon tooth found was about 18 centimeters long. Just to compare, teeth of the great white shark do not exceed five centimeters.
Sharks have no bones (except for teeth) but cartilage instead. That's why the only extant remains of megalodons are teeth, but sometimes vertebrae are also found.
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