Basking Shark Have large, oil-filled livers they can swim slowly without sinking Have teeth, but are hardly used Can migrate thousands of miles Swam from Scotland to Canada, 5,958 miles Filter feeders, feed on plankton

Whale Shark NOT A WHALE! Can filter 1,600 gallons of water in 1 hour More than 18,000 cans of soda! The largest shark and largest fish 46 feet in length…15 tons Females are larger than males Have about 3,000 teeth That they do not use Closes its mouth to swallow food, but can spit out the food it doesn’t like Whale sharks are viviparous…give birth to live young Sexually mature at 30 years old Harmless to people May live up to 100-150 years old

Bull Shark Males 7 ft in length Females 11.5 ft in length 200 lbs. Females 11.5 ft in length 500 lbs. Feed on fish (other sharks and rays) turtles, birds, mollusks, crustaceans, dolphins Can swim in FRESH water Is an aggressive shark Is one of the most frequent attackers of people as it swims in shallow waters where people swim

Cookie Cutter Shark cookie-cutter shark eats by taking round (cookiecutter-shaped) bites out of its victims with its long teeth and powerful jaws, mostly attacking large fish and whales (including dolphins) 20 inches in length cookiecutter is also known as the cigar shark (due to its color and shape), the luminous shark (because it emits a green glow from its belly), and the Brazilian shark

Hammerhead Shark Up to 20 ft in length Have special “third eyelids” Membrane can cover the eye while the shark thrashes around with prey Might produce up to 40 pups at once 8 different species of hammerhead sharks Feed on stingrays…barbs and all Some Great Hammerheads have been found with more than 50 spines embedded in the mouth and throat Their fins are among the most expensive of shark fins when sold

Megalodon Have teeth that are the size of human hands 6.5 inches in length Lived about 20 million to 2 million years ago 42 ft in length Some scientists believe the Megalodon could be up to 50 or 100 ft in length No whole Megalodon fossils have been found Only jaws and teeth So no real idea what the shark looked like Megalodon’s jaw could open 6 ft wide and 7 ft high

Tiger Shark Garbage cans of the sea Stingrays, squid, animal antlers, shoes, car license plates, car tires, handbags, and a human hand! Tiger sharks can grow 24,000 teeth in 10 years Jaw is so strong it can bite through a turtle’s shell Can be up to 20 ft in length Can swim at an average speed of 2.4 mph The young of tiger sharks are born live in litters of between 10 and 82 pups

Weird & Wonderful Goblin Shark Frilled Shark Wobbegongs Megamouths Rarely seen Push their jaw out of their mouth Frilled Shark Live up to 5,000 ft. below the ocean surface Looks like a scary eel Have 300 many-pronged teeth Wobbegongs Live on the seabed in shallow water Some have tassels of skin that look like seaweed Megamouths Live only 500 ft. below the surface So rare—only a few have been seen First megamouth was discovered 30 years ago Velvetbelly Lanternsharks May glow to find each other or to attract mates Lanternsharks Have special cells in their bodies that glow in the dark

Shark Attacks! The great white shark is at the top of the food chain…21 ft long predator is dangerous to fish and mammals and rarely humans More people are killed by jellyfish than great white sharks Great Whites cruise at 2 mph, but when it finds prey the shark shoots forward at 15 mph! Most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity…most surfers look like seals from below the surface of the water

Hangers On….Parasites? Remora fish Pilot fish Tapeworm Copepods Attach themselves to the shark for a free ride Eat food that falls out of the sharks’ mouth Clean the sharks…eat the parasites on the sharks’ skin Pilot fish Swim with the sharks (protection) Won’t get eaten by sharks…too quick Feed on the sharks’ parasites…and dung! Tapeworm More than 3 ft in length Live inside sharks’ gut absorbing food Copepods Crustaceans Stick onto sharks’ fins…females lay eggs on the sharks fins 1 species lives in the EYE of the Greenland shark Feeds on the eye…but once done it can’t swim away

Hunting Sharks Shark cartilage and fins are used in traditional medicine Shark skin is turned into leather for making shoes, handbags, wallets, and even sword handles Shark liver oil, called squalene, is used in cosmetics Sharks are also hunted for sport Most sharks are caught just for their fins. Some are “finned” while still alive, then thrown back to the sea Mako shark steaks are sold in some supermarkets Shark jaws are sold as souvenirs…some species can only be sold internationally if the seller has a special permit