Sharks ~ Ruthless Killers of the SeasSharks, in the minds of most people are large, fearless and ruthless predators always ready to attack and eat humans. But out of the over 350 species known to science, only a very few species will look to humans as prey. Most are harmless.
Distribution They can be found in all the world’s oceans, and at all depths. Some species roams as near as the seashore with just a few feet of water covering them. And 1-2 species are able to live in freshwater in large rivers and lakes after finding their way up from the sea. The bull is one of them. It is commonly found in rivers and estuaries. Characteristics Not all species look-alike, some are torpedo-shaped and some are catfish-like with sensory whisker-like barbells around their mouths. Some are large, while some are small. The harmless and largest living fish, the whale shark, a plankton feeder with no teeth can grows to weight of over 10 tons and a length of over 60 feet, while the dwarf dogfish when fully matured is about 6 inches long. Instead of scales like other fish they have denticles covering all over their rough skin. The denticles are tooth-like for protecting their bodies. And instead of bone their skeleton is made of cartilage like those of their close relatives, the skates and the rays. Feeding and Teeth Most are fish eaters, but there are some that feed on mollusks and crustaceans on the seabed. Those that prey on fish and other large marine mammals have blade-like teeth with serrated edges capable of searing large chunks of flesh. And those that feed on mollusk and crustaceans have flatter teeth, powerful enough to crush shells. The former are pelagic fish (open water) while the latter are bottom-dwellers. Their teeth are easily replaced as they lose them easily.
Man-eaters The few species capable of attacking humans, often described as ‘man-eaters’ are large and aggressive. And on top of the list is the notorious great white. With its large size and strength it is the most dangerous species. The hammerhead, the mako, the bull, the blue, the tiger, the oceanic white and black tip as well as the grey nurse species make up the rest of the list. Worldwide, the number of humans attacked by these killers yearly is very rare. Most of the attacks happened in tropical or subtropical waters such as Australia, South Africa and Indonesia. The victims are often swimmers, paddlers and surfers. The main reason behind the attacks is that they mistaken humans as their favorite prey, the seals and sea lions. As Food for Humans Globally, it’s estimated that more than 500 tons of their meat are consumed annually. And besides it more than 10 million pounds of their fins are finned and sold annually.
The great demand for shark fin soup, an Asian’s delicacy, especially in China, is threatening some species to extinction. More than 150 species are placed under the endangered species list. As Sport-fish Sport anglers love them for their brute strength and speed when hooked. The mako for e.g. is among the most popular as a game fish. When hooked, it can jump up to more than 20 feet into the air, and tail-walking like most billfish. The blue is the most common, which is distributed worldwide. Some other sporting species are the Porbeagle, the thresher, the hammerhead, the tiger, and the bull. Sharks are commonly thought of as ruthless killers of the seas, but most of them are harmless, and only a very few species are the real culprits that attack humans. They are here before us, some 400 million years ago, and we hope that they will be here forever with us.  Custom Search
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