Sharks have been swimming through Earth’s oceans for hundreds of millions of years, yet they still surprise scientists with their unusual behavior, incredible biology, and mysterious migrations. From ancient species that outlived entire civilizations to strange stories from the deep sea, these facts reveal a side of sharks that goes far beyond their fearsome reputation.
A Lifetime Of Teeth
1. Ground sharks can lose as many as 35,000 teeth over the course of their lifetime.
2. Bahia Bakari, a 12-year-old girl, was the only survivor of a plane that plunged directly into the Indian Ocean. She was rescued after clinging to a piece of debris from the plane and surviving nine hours in rough, shark-infested waters.
3. The movie “Jaws” was intended to feature a mechanical shark, but after several malfunctions Spielberg chose to film from the shark’s point of view and imply the shark through composer John William’s musical theme.
4. Great white sharks sometimes regurgitate a bite to make room for a more calorically rich morsel. This behavior further indicates that white sharks are adept at assessing the caloric value of their food and are selective when feeding.
5. Bamboo sharks are able to survive on land for 12 hours.
6. Certain Greenland sharks currently alive were born prior to the English Civil War.
7. Hammerhead sharks reproduce annually, and typically the male bites the female aggressively until she agrees to mate.
8. Greenland sharks are estimated to live up to 500 years.
9. Every year hundreds of great white sharks migrate to an area in the mid-Pacific Ocean and loiter there for reasons unknown; that area has been dubbed the “White Shark Cafe.”
10. A colossal cannibal great white shark is capable of hunting and eating 10-foot great white sharks.
Researcher Bitten By Embryo
11. In 1982, during the dissection of a mother tiger shark, scientist Stewart Springer, while reaching into the birth canal, was bitten by a tiger shark embryo, which are notoriously cannibalistic. This is the only recorded instance where someone was bitten by an unborn animal.
12. In 2011, PETA mocked 21-year-old Charles Wickersham, who had been attacked by a shark while spearfishing, calling the incident ‘payback.’
13. Sharks become calmer when exposed to songs by the rock band AC/DC.
14. Lamniformes, the mackerel sharks (including Great Whites and Makos), do not require sleep.
15. The chance of being attacked by a candiru (penis invading fish) is about the same as the chance of being struck by lightning while simultaneously being eaten by a shark.
16. The worst shark attack in human history occurred in 1945 after the USS Indianapolis was sunk in the Pacific. As many as 150 sailors waiting to be rescued were killed by sharks.
17. Sharks have existed longer than trees. Sharks appeared 400 million years ago while trees appeared 350 million years ago.
18. A 16-foot-long, 3500 pound female Great White shark named Mary Lee is being tracked as she swims up and down the U.S. East Coast.
19. Female sand tiger sharks have two uteri containing hundreds of eggs, but the strongest embryo in each uterus consumes all other eggs and hatchlings nearby. Only two babies are born later, one from each uterus.
20. An animal called the Bowmouth guitarfish is a near-perfect combination of a shark and a ray.
Oceanic Whitetip Called Deadliest
21. Jacques Cousteau described the oceanic whitetip as ‘The most dangerous of all sharks.’ The oceanic whitetip is suspected to have been responsible for many fatal shark bites on humans, due to predation on survivors of shipwrecks or downed aircrafts.
22. Ocean fish, rays, turtles, and sharks visit cleaning stations where smaller shrimp and fish remove parasites, sometimes swimming into their mouths and gills to clean thoroughly.
23. A shark’s teeth are coated with fluoride, which acts like toothpaste and keeps the shark’s mouth healthy and clean.
24. Because sharks have no rib cages, when on land their weight can literally crush their own body.
25. In 2014, sharks killed only 7 humans while humans killed over 63,000,000 sharks.
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