Here are ten fascinating facts about Sharks:
- Ancient predators: Sharks have been around for approximately 450 million years, predating dinosaurs by millions of years.
- Toothy creatures: Sharks can go through up to 30,000 teeth in their lifetime, with new teeth constantly growing and replacing old ones.
- Cartilaginous skeletons: Unlike most fish, sharks don't have bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage, making them lighter and more buoyant.
- Exceptional senses: Sharks possess an electrical sense through tiny pores in their snouts, allowing them to detect electrical signals in water.
- Diverse habitats: Sharks can be found in most ocean habitats, from tropical coral reefs to the Arctic sea ice.
- Varied reproduction: Sharks can reproduce in three ways: live birth, egg-laying, or a combination of both (ovoviviparity).
- Excellent vision: Sharks have incredible eyesight, with night vision superior to that of wolves or cats.
- Unique skin texture: Shark skin feels like sandpaper due to tiny tooth-like structures called placoid scales or dermal denticles.
- Rare attacks: Despite their fearsome reputation, shark attacks on humans are very rare. You're 75 times more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark.
- Tonic immobility: When flipped upside down, some sharks enter a trance-like state called tonic immobility.
