What Would We Do Without Sharks? Genevieve Rogan, Austin Marrs, Janet Kim, Joe Liverman

What’s a shark?shark There are many different types of sharks, however experts agree that all sharks share a few common characteristics: -They are all predators -They all have 5-7 gill slits on the sides of their heads -They come in many shapes and sizes -They play a VERY important role in the ocean’s ecosystems!They play a VERY important role in the ocean’s ecosystems!

What do they eat? Sharks eat a number of smaller fish, depending on the location and type of shark. Great WhitesGreat Whites eat rays, sea lions, seals, and even beluga whales! Hammerhead sharks are known to eat a wider range of food, ranging from squid and octopus, to smaller fish, and even smaller sharks. Whale sharks, the biggest of all sharks, actually eat the SMALLEST of creatures! They are “filter sharks,” which means they swim around, filtering tiny little creatures such as krill, krill eggs, plankton, and small fish.

A story... Here’s a story about what happens when you take something from the top of the food chain, like a shark, away from an aquatic community… Once upon a time, everyone lived happily ever after. Sharks only ate in moderation, as did other animals; the ecosystem was in perfect balance. Then, the Coalition of Fish For the Furtherment of Vegetarianism, banded together, and FORCED all of the sharks to stop eating fish...

The story continues... The sharks saw that they could save many lives doing this, and thus agreed. They all migrated off to a deep, lush sea garden called “Aqua Grove,” and lived there for centuries in peace. They ate only plants, and all was well. Then, one day, the elder sharks decided to go back and check on their fish counterparts… When the sharks arrived back at their community, they found it in a total wreck. They swam around for hours, trying to find a fish to talk to...they finally found a small village of survivors...

“What happened?” asked the Elder Great White Shark. A grim expression spread across King Tuna’s, the leader of this band of survivors, face. “It was a paradise...at first. We thought that all of our lives would be easier; no sharks to hunt us, to kill us. But then...something happened.” “What could have possibly happened?” Asked the Elder Great White Shark...

“Well,” The King Tuna said, “without the sharks here to hunt us, our population went bonkers.” “We ate off all the Herring and Squid, and then the anchovies went crazy as well.” “There was so many of em’, because there were no Herring or Squid to keep their population in check.”Herring “Then,” interrupted Emperor Crab, “The massive amounts of Anchovies ate all of the plankton. They killed them off…” “With no more plankton to survive, the anchovies died off.”

“And now...we have very little to eat, we’re barely surviving. We have to get by on what we can.” “It turns out,” said the Wise Old Sea Turtle, “that sharks play an important part in the ecosystem...and without them, things go awry. We need you to fulfill your destiny and restore balance to the ocean.” “So you want us to resume our role as predators?” asked the Elder Great White Shark. “Absolutely,” replied the Sea Turtle.

“You’ve got a three second head start,” replied the Sharks. And as the fish swam rapidly away, with fear in their hearts, they were consoled, because they knew that balance would be restored. The End.