In deeper waters, the bioluminescence is used to attract prey. This helps them camouflage in the sunlight and shimmers in shallow waters, enabling them to hide from predators. The dwarf lantenshark, like other members of the genus Etmopterus, is capable of producing light. This smallest shark species is identifiable through its long, flathead and black ventral markings. They only grow to around 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) in length. Watch more shark videos from National Geographic here.Famously, the lanternshark is the smallest species of shark known to scientists (specifically the dwarf lanternshark). Rising water temperatures and coastal development are also contributing to shrinking populations by destroying the mangroves and coral reefs that sharks use for breeding, hunting, and protecting young shark pups.Ī drop in numbers is bad news for sharks but also for ocean health in general: As top predators of the ocean, sharks are critical for ensuring a balanced food web.
This practice is called shark finning, and it’s done to save space on the boat (the fins are the most valuable part of a shark) and to avoid surpassing fishing quotas. Sometimes fishermen cut the fins off live sharks and dump the animals, finless, back into the ocean, where they’ll drown or bleed out. Some fisheries allow the catch of whole sharks, like any other fish, while others have outright banned shark fishing. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, mostly to supply demand for an expensive Chinese dish called shark fin soup. Humans are responsible for drastic declines in shark populations.
Sharks may not be a significant threat to us, but we are to them. Read more about the psychology behind our fear of shark attacks. This video shows some of the reasons for shark attacks and how you can reduce your risk of becoming a target for sharks. The truth is that shark attacks against humans are extremely rare, and you're more likely to die from drowning or from being struck by lightning.
Sharks bite people out of curiosity, to defend themselves from a perceived threat, or because they confuse a human with prey. Even though shark attacks have increased at a steady rate since 1900-a result of better recording of attacks and a rising human population-they are still exceedingly rare: A beachgoer has only a one in 11.5 million chance of being bitten. Most sharks eat smaller fish and invertebrates, but some of the larger species prey on seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals. Most notable is the Greenland shark, Earth’s longest-lived vertebrate at 272 years. Scientists are still trying to figure out how long sharks live and have only studied the ages of a fraction of shark species. Lemon sharks, for example, have been found to congregate in groups to socialize. Some species are solitary, while others hang out in groups to varying degrees. Sharks are found in deep and shallow waters throughout the world’s oceans, with some migrating vast distances to breed and feed. Santa Catalina Island, California Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection Behavior Their teeth come in all sizes and shapes, from serrated like a razor to triangular like a spear. Whale sharks, the largest fish species on Earth, can grow to more than 55 feet, while dwarf lantern sharks reach a mere eight inches.įormidable predators, sharks have mouths lined with multiple rows of individual teeth that fall out and grow back on a routine basis. Species in this subclass have skeletons made from cartilage, not bone, and have five to seven gill slits on each side of their heads (most other fish have only one gill slit on each side), which they use to filter oxygen from the water. Like rays and skates, sharks fall into a subclass of fish called elasmobranchii. The ocean’s top predators have evolved into roughly 500 species that come in all different sizes and colors and have varying diets and behavior. Sharks star in blockbuster movies as blood-seeking villains, but in reality they’re far more fascinating and complicated than they’re often depicted in pop culture.īased on fossilized teeth and scales, scientists believe that sharks have been around for more than 400 million years-long before the dinosaurs.
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