The 5 Most Dangerous Shark Species: Separating Fact from Fiction

                                                                                                   

 

5. Mako Shark(Isurus oxyrinchus):

Speed: 50 km/h (Maximum, In The Water, In Short Bursts)

Scientific name: Isurus oxyrinchus

Mass: 60 – 140 kg (Adult)

Domain: Eukaryota

Family: Lamnidae

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Lamniformes

What's a Mako Shark?

A mako shark is a type of shark that lives in the big blue ocean. They're known for being super fast swimmers and are often called the "cheetahs of the sea" because they can swim really, really fast. The shortfin mako shark is a large, predatory shark that lives in the open ocean and reaches lengths of 12 feet (3.8 m) and weights of at least 1200 pounds (545 kg). With top speeds of 45 miles per hour (74 kilometers per hour), the shortfin mako is the fastest shark and is one of the fastest fishes on the planet. This species’ athleticism is not restricted to its swimming speeds. It is known for its incredible leaping ability and can be observed jumping to extreme heights (out of the water) when hunting.

What Do They Look Like?

Mako sharks are streamlined and sleek, which helps them zip through the water. They're usually blue or gray on top and white underneath, which helps them blend in with the ocean.

How Fast Are They?

Imagine a race car in the water—that's a mako shark! They can swim as fast as 60 miles per hour (that's like driving on the highway in a car). They're one of the fastest fish in the ocean.

What Do They Eat?

Mako sharks like to eat other fish, like tuna and swordfish. They use their speed to catch their prey. They also have sharp teeth to help them chomp down on their food.

Are They Dangerous to Humans?

Mako sharks are not usually a big threat to humans. They might be curious if they see a person in the water, but they don't typically attack humans. Most of the time, they just want to swim around and do their own thing.

Why Are They Important?

Mako sharks are essential to the balance of the ocean. They help control the populations of other fish, which keeps the ocean healthy. Scientists study them to learn more about the ocean ecosystem.

So, there you have it—the mako shark, a fascinating and speedy creature of the sea that plays an important role in the underwater world. Remember, they're not as scary as they might seem in movies, and they deserve our respect and protection in their ocean home.

what is adaptation of Mako shark?

Shortfin mako sharks are known to be highly migratory, with individuals making long migrations every year. Like the true tunas, the great white shark, and some other fishes, the shortfin mako shark has a specialized blood vessel structure – called a countercurrent exchanger – that allows them to maintain a body temperature that is higher than the surrounding water. This adaptation provides them with a major advantage when hunting in cold water by allowing them to move more quickly and intelligently. This species feeds on a variety of prey. They are known to primarily eat bony fishes (including relatively large tunas) and squids but also eat other sharks, small marine mammals, sea turtles, and even dead organic matter. Shortfin makos are at the top of the pelagic food web, and adults do not have any known natural predators. Juveniles are likely eaten by other sharks and perhaps by cannibalistic adults.

How do they reproduce?

Shortfin mako sharks mate via internal fertilization and give live birth to a small number of relatively large young. Though they give live birth, these sharks do not connect to their young through a placenta. Instead, during the gestation period, the mother provides her young with unfertilized eggs that they actively eat for nourishment. While the shortfin mako shark is one of only very few shark species known to have bitten and killed people, these events are extremely rare and likely accidental (a case of mistaken identity).

 

Fun Facts:

• 1.Mako Sharks Are The Fastest Sharks In The World.
• 2.They Are Extremely Intelligent.
• 3.They Love Warm Waters.

4. Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus):

Scientific name: Carcharhinus longimanus

Mass: 92 kg (Adult) 

Domain: Eukaryota

Family: Carcharhinidae

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Carcharhiniformes

Phylum: Chordata

What's an Oceanic Whitetip Shark?

An Oceanic Whitetip Shark is a kind of fish that lives in the wide-open ocean. It gets its name because it has white tips on its fins, which stand out and make it easy to recognize. Oceanic whitetip sharks are large, pelagic sharks found in tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world. They live offshore in deep water, but spend most of their time in the upper part of the water column near the surface. Oceanic whitetip sharks are long-lived, late maturing, and have low to moderate productivity.

what's their appearances? 

Oceanic whitetip sharks  are large-bodied sharks with a stocky build, and have a distinctive pattern of mottled white markings on the tips of their dorsal, pectoral, and tail fins. These markings are why they are called “whitetip” sharks. Their dorsal fins are rounded and their pectoral fins are long and paddle-like. The color of their bodies varies depending on where they live. They are generally-grayish bronze to brown, while their undersides are whitish with some individuals having a yellow tinge. Imagine a strong fish with a round body and a long, pointy nose. Its back is usually gray or brown, and it has those white-tipped fins we talked about. It's not the biggest shark, but it's still quite tough.

What's Its Personality Like?

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is a bit of a loner. It usually swims all by itself, searching for food. It's not as aggressive as some other sharks, but it can get curious when it spots something interesting in the water.

where do they live? 

The oceanic whitetip shark is found throughout the world in tropical and sub-tropical waters. It is a pelagic species, generally found offshore in the open ocean, on the outer continental shelf, or around oceanic islands in deep water areas. Although they can make deep dives and have been recorded up to 1,082 meters (3,549 feet) deep, they typically live in the upper part of the water column, from the surface to at least 200 meters (656 feet deep). Oceanic whitetip sharks have a strong preference for the surface mixed layer in warm waters above 20°C, and are therefore considered a surface-dwelling shark.

What Does It Eat?

This shark is a bit of a scavenger, which means it eats things like dead fish, seabirds, and sometimes even stuff that floats in the ocean, like debris. When it's hungry, it's not too choosy about its meal.

Is It Dangerous to Humans?

This shark might investigate things in the water, but it's usually not considered a big threat to people. There have been a few rare incidents, but they're not common. Humans are not its main source of food.

how do they reproduce?

Whitetip reef sharks via the internal fertilization and gives birth to one to five pups per litter. They reach sexual maturity at the relatively late age of 8 years and live until the maximum age of at least 25 years.

Why Are They Important?

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks help keep the ocean's balance by controlling the population of other fish. Scientists study them to learn more about how the ocean's ecosystem works. Oceanic whitetip sharks can be entangled as bycatch. Many of shark's body are profitable to human . The large dorsal fin of the oceanic whitetip is used in traditional Asian dishes, particularly in shark fin soup.  

Fun Facts:

1.Oceanic whitetip sharks need to be on the move—literally. Unlike some other sharks, they can’t pump water over their gills, so they need to keep swimming so oxygen-filled seawater can wash over them. If they stop swimming, oceanic whitetip sharks can’t breathe

2.Female oceanic whitetips are typically larger than males.

3.Oceanic whitetips can grow to more than 11 feet.

3. Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas):

Scientific name: Carcharhinus leucas

Mass: 130 kg (Female, Adult), 95 kg (Male, Adult)

Conservation status: Near Threatened 

Domain: Eukaryota

Family: Carcharhinidae

Kingdom: Animalia

Order:  Carcharhiniformes

What's a Bull Shark?

The Bull Shark is a type of shark, but it's quite special. Unlike many other sharks that stick to the ocean, Bull Sharks are adventurous and can also swim in rivers and estuaries, which are places where rivers meet the sea. Bull sharks are aggressive, common, and usually live near high-population areas like tropical shorelines. They are not bothered by brackish and freshwater, and even venture far inland via rivers and tributaries. Bull sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they're an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters. They've been known to swim up into freshwater rivers. Humans are not part of a bull shark's normal prey. Bull sharks will eat almost anything, but their diet consists mainly of fish. They also sometimes eat dolphins and sea turtles. Bull sharks even eat other sharks. They hunt during the day and at night.

What Do They Look Like?

Picture a stocky, strong shark with a grayish color on top and a white belly. They have a short, blunt snout, and their dorsal fin (the one on their back) is kind of large and triangular. This makes them easy to recognize. Bull sharks range from 7 to 11.5 feet in length, can weigh between 200 and 500 pounds. Females grow larger than males. The top side of the shark ranges in color from pale to dark gray, fading to white on underside. Bull sharks have short, blunt and spout. 

Where Do They Hang Out?

Bull Sharks are found in warm coastal waters around the world. They're versatile swimmers and can adapt to different environments. You might even find them in rivers hundreds of miles away from the ocean. Bull sharks are found in coastal waters all over the world. In the United States they are found off the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike most sharks, bull sharks can survive in freshwater for long periods of time. They have even been found in the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers. The bull shark has traveled 4,000 km (2,500 mi) up the Amazon River to Iquitos in Peru and north Bolivia. It also lives in freshwater Lake Nicaragua, in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers of West Bengal, and Assam in Eastern India and adjoining Bangladesh.

How do they reproduce?

Male bull sharks become sexually mature by age 14 or 15, whereas females become sexually mature at age 18. Bull sharks are viviparous; that is, females retain the fertilized eggs within their body until the young are capable of independent existence. Fertilization takes place internally after a courtship in which the male may bite the female’s fins and body during copulation. After a gestation period lasting about 10–11 months, between 1 and 13 young are born tail first. Females tend to reproduce every other year. Bull sharks usually live for 23 to 28 years, but some have lived as long as 32 years.

what do they eat? 

The bull shark is not a picky eater. The sharks eat mostly fish, but can also eat other shark species, marine mammals, birds, and turtles. Although rare, bull sharks have also been recorded eating other bull sharks. Adult sharks tend to hunt by themselves.

why are they important? 

As apex predators, Bull Sharks can influence the movement and habitat use behavior of their prey, which may have trickle-down effects throughout the food web. Some of the species Bull Sharks interact with in Chesapeake Bay are targets of economically-important commercial and recreational fisheries

fun facts: 

1. Bull Sharks Can Live in Both Saltwater and Freshwater

2. Bull Shark Fins Are Used as a Delicacy in Soup

3. Female Bull Sharks Outweigh Male Bull Sharks

2. Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier):

Scientific name: Galeocerdo cuvier

Domain: Eukaryota

Family: Galeocerdonidae

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Carcharhiniformes

Phylum: Chordata

What's a Tiger Shark?

The Tiger Shark is a type of shark, and it's named "tiger" because of the dark, stripe-like patterns on its back and sides. It's like the tiger of the ocean! tiger shark, (Galeocerdo cuvier), large, potentially dangerous shark of the family Carcharhinidae. It is noted for its voracity and inveterate scavenging, as well as its reputation as a man-eater. The tiger shark is found worldwide in warm oceans, from the shoreline to the open sea. A maximum of about 5.5 meters (18 feet) long, it is grayish and patterned, when young, with dark spots and vertical bars. It has a long, pointed upper tail lobe and large, saw-edged teeth that are deeply notched along one side.'

What Do They Look Like?

Imagine a big, bulky fish with a kind of blunt nose and a grayish or brownish color on top. What makes them stand out are those dark stripes that resemble a tiger's stripes, especially when they're young. As they grow older, these stripes fade. It has a broad, flat head with a snout shorter than the width of the mouth, long labial furrows, and a slender body. The caudal fin is long and pointed with reinforcing ridges and its teeth have curved cusps with serrated edges and a deep notch on the outer margin

Where Do They Hang Out?

Tiger Sharks are found in warm waters all around the world, and they like to swim near the coast, including around islands and in coral reefs. They're pretty adaptable and can live in different ocean environments. Tiger sharks can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, North American beaches, and parts of South America. It is also commonly observed in the Caribbean Sea. Other locations where tiger sharks are seen include off Africa, China, India, Australia, and Indonesia. Tiger sharks live in shallow, coastal waters, but have been seen 1,150 feet (350 m) deep

What's Their Personality Like?

Tiger Sharks are known for being curious and sometimes a bit daring. They're not overly aggressive towards humans, but they can get interested in things they come across in the water. They're also known as the "garbage cans of the sea" because they're not picky eaters and will munch on all sorts of stuff.

what do they eat? 

An omnivorous feeder that sometimes damages the nets and catches of fishermen, the tiger shark eats fishes, other sharks, sea turtles, mollusks, seabirds, carrion, and garbage. It has also been known to swallow coal, tin cans, bones, and clothing. It is of some commercial value as a source of leather and liver oil.  But here's the interesting part: they'll also eat things like garbage, fishnets, and other debris that ends up in the ocean. It's like they're the ocean's cleanup crew.

Why Are They Important?

Tiger Sharks play a role in maintaining the balance of marine life by keeping the populations of certain animals in check. Scientists study them to understand more about the ocean's ecosystem and how to protect it. Tiger sharks dive deeper than other shark species that prefer these habitats, making them ideal for helping to map seagrass ecosystems. The crystal clear waters on the Bahama Banks allow seagrass to grow well below standard depths accessible to SCUBA divers. Without sharks as apex predators, the entire ocean ecosystem could fall out of balance. They not only maintain the species below them in the food chain, but also indirectly maintain seagrass and coral reef habitats.

Fun Facts:

1. It is one of three sharks species known as “man-eaters”

2. Its body has no bones

3. It can detect the electric fields of prey animals

1. Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Eats: Sea otter
Mass: 680 – 1,100 kg (Female, Mature)
Speed: 56 km/h (Maximum, In Short Bursts)
Length: 4.6 – 4.9 m (Female), 3.4 – 4 m (Male)
Class: Chondrichthyes
Family: Lamnidae
Genus: Carcharodon

What's a Great White Shark?

The Great White Shark is a type of shark, and it's often called "great" because it's one of the biggest sharks in the world. It's also known as the "white shark" because of its grayish-white belly and grayish-blue top. The great white shark is a type of mackerel shark from the Lamnidae family, which also includes mako sharks, salmon sharks, and porbeagle sharks. Great whites are the largest of the bunch—and the world’s largest predatory fish.

Great whites are named after their white underbellies, but their topsides can come in a variety of browns and grays. This stark contrast between colorations is known as countershading, and it allows many fish species to blend in with their surroundings. Thanks to the immensely popular 1975 film, Jaws, which starred a massive great white, this species is one of the most recognized sharks on the planet.

What Do They Look Like?

Imagine a massive, torpedo-shaped fish with a pointy snout and big, sharp teeth. They have a sleek, powerful body built for swimming and hunting in the ocean. White sharks are large bulky fishes with a body shaped like a blunt torpedo. They have a sharply pointed conical snout, large pectoral and dorsal fins, and a strong crescent-shaped tail. Only the belly of white sharks is whitish. They have a contrasting pattern of dark blue, gray, or brown on their back and sides.

Where Do They Hang Out?

Great White Sharks are found in oceans all around the world, but they like to swim near the coast, especially in areas with lots of seals, sea lions, and other marine animals. Great whites are warm-blooded and live in temperate waters.

They are more populous around the US (South East California), South Africa, Japan, southern Australia and the ocean near Chile and -East Africa. The area Great white sharks can be found in every ocean, but they stay away from the colder waters of Antarctica and the Arctic. They are most frequently found in temperate waters where the temperature is easy to adapt to and their favorite food is abundant. the greatest concentration of great white sharks is located near Dyers Island, south-Africa 

What's Their Personality Like?

Great White Sharks are known for being top predators, which means they're at the top of the food chain in the ocean. They're solitary creatures and usually hunt alone. They're not interested in humans as a main source of food, but they can be curious. Great white sharks are dangerous both underwater and above water, breaching the water surface occasionally to catch prey, despite their heavy size. Unsuspecting surfers can be mistaken for prey and attacked quickly from below. With about 300 serrated teeth, their bites can be extremely painful

What Do They Eat?

These sharks have a big appetite and eat a variety of marine animals, including seals, sea lions, fish, and even smaller sharks. They're known for their powerful bites, and they often ambush their prey from below. Newborn white sharks feed on fishes and other sharks. As they reach adulthood, their prey includes sea turtles, seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and small whales. Prey is usually hunted by ambush, where the shark will attempt to rush the animal by surprise and inflict a sudden and massive fatal bite The white shark has a diverse and opportunistic diet of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. Juvenile white sharks mainly eat bottom fish, smaller sharks and rays, and schooling fish and squids. Larger white sharks often gather around seal and sea lion colonies to feed and also occasionally scavenge dead whales. 

Why Are They Important?

Great White Sharks play a crucial role in keeping the ocean ecosystem in balance by controlling the populations of certain marine animals. Scientists study them to learn more about the ocean and how to protect it. Large predators like sharks are even effective carbon sinks themselves, so more large fish in our oceans could reduce the carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere. Through their migrations and diving behavior, sharks also help cycle nutrients between different locations and the depths and shallow

Fun facts:

1. Great White Sharks existed before Dinosaurs

2. A Great White can devour a whole seal and won’t need to eat for another three months after that

3 .Great Whites love warmer water

how to survive shark attack?

Here are the three steps to take during a shark encounter:

1.Stay calm

2.Fight back

3.Get out of the water

4.Avoid moving around since thrashing can make the shark perceive you as prey. If the shark sees you as prey, it will become more aggressive. And unlike a grizzly bear encounter where playing dead helps, never play dead with a shark.

5.Even if it’s a small bite, visit the nearest medical facility. If you’re helping someone who was attacked by a shark, after stopping the bleeding, wrap the victim in a blanket to prevent heat loss. Don’t move them around more than necessary. Call for medical help immediately.

6.Sharks have a highly developed olfactory system that can detect minute amounts of substances in the ocean, including blood. Unfortunately, this ability has created the myth that sharks are attracted to the tiniest drop of human blood. The misconception is that a shark will know if you’re bleeding, even if they’re miles away. And while it’s true that sharks can smell blood in the ocean, there still needs to be more clarity around what this means.

Smells reach sharks through the ocean currents. It takes time for the scent to travel from the source to the shark’s nostril. It wouldn’t be possible for the shark to detect a drop of blood from miles away since the scent would dissipate and weaken as it traveled. The range for a shark detecting blood would fit within a quarter of a mile.

So, let’s say you’re swimming in the ocean and suffer a cut or injury that causes you to bleed. Don’t worry; there’s plenty of time to safely make your way to the shore before a shark in the vicinity can detect the scent of blood. Sharks have a powerful sense of smell, but they’re not constantly searching for the scent of blood. Usually, attacks on humans are cases of mistaken identity.

7.Be shark smart. If you see a shark, get out of the water, but do so mindfully. Avoid thrashing around and looking like prey. If the shark makes contact, discourage it by hitting its nose, eyes, and gills. And if the shark bites you, seek medical help right away. Sometimes curious sharks will nibble on beach-goers, barely causing any damage. But even a tiny bite deserves medical attention.

8.Defend yourself - playing dead doesn't work.

9.Use whatever you have at your disposal (surfboard, dive gear, fishing equipment) to avoid using your bare hands to attack the shark.

10.If you must use your hands, concentrate on attacking the eyes, nose and gills.

11.Make sudden movements to scare the shark

No.1 most dangerous and largest shark that existed in ancient history of  more than million of years ago.

megalodon shark:

Extinction status: Extinct 

Class: Chondrichthyes

Family: †Otodontidae

Genus: †Otodus

Kingdom: Animalia

Order: Lamniformes

Phylum: Chordata

 

size:

This data suggests that mature adult megalodons had a mean length of 10.2 metres (about 33.5 feet), the largest specimens measuring 17.9 metres (58.7 feet) long. Some scientists, however, contend that the largest forms may have measured up to 25 metres (82 feet) long.

what's Megalodon shark?

The Megalodon is a prehistoric shark species that existed millions of years ago. It's often called the "giant shark" because it was one of the largest and most powerful predators to ever swim in the oceans.

Since sharks first appeared hundreds of millions of years ago, the world has experienced ice ages, meteors, earthquakes, growing and shrinking seas, and more. Throughout all of these environmental changes, sharks have roamed the ocean.

The most famous prehistoric shark, Carcharocles megalodon, nicknamed megalodon or mega tooth, ruled the seas from about 17 million years ago up to almost three million years ago. The colossal predator reached lengths up to 60 feet, stretching as long as a boxcar. The only marine animal ever to outweigh the massive megalodon is the blue whale, which weighs up to 200 tons, or just more than double the size of a megalodon.

Paleontologists estimate the humongous shark needed to devour 2,500 pounds of food a day. That’s like you having to eat 3,300 cans of tuna every day.

megalodon shark's tooth: 

Like the rest of its body, megalodon’s mouth was huge, too. Its jaws could open wide enough to swallow two adults standing side by side. The giant shark used its sharp, banana-size teeth to chow down on whales, dolphins, seals, and probably other sharks.

why have they become extinct?

The Megalodon is believed to have lived from approximately 23 million years ago to around 3 million years ago during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs.

Scientists believe it became extinct due to a combination of factors, including changes in climate, the availability of prey, and competition with other predators.

It's thought that megalodon sharks became extinct in part due to climate change: as oceans grew colder, they may not have been able to regulate their temperatures as needed. Lack of prey could be behind the megalodon's extinction, as many marine animals and fish could not survive the cold temperatures.

Megalodon, the biggest shark that ever lived, may have been killed off thanks to the success of the great white, new research suggests. A study of elemental traces in their teeth implies the huge sea monster faced competition for resources from its smaller and more nimble rival, say scientists.

what would have happened if Megalodon shark existed today?

'If an animal as big as megalodon still lived in the oceans we would know about it. ' The sharks would leave telltale bite marks on other large marine animals, and their huge teeth would continue littering the ocean floors in their tens of thousands

Megalodons were big, powerful predators, kind of like kings of the sea. If they were around today, they would eat a lot of marine animals, like whales and seals.

This could mess up the way ocean life works because they would be at the top of the food chain.Megalodons could sometimes swim close to beaches, and that could be scary for people who want to swim or go fishing.

It's like when a big, unknown animal comes close to where people are. People would have to be careful.

fossils of megalodon :

Fossils attributed to megalodon have been found dating from the early Miocene Epoch (which began 23.03 million years ago) to the end of the Pliocene Epoch (2.58 million years ago). The word megalodon, a compound of Greek root words, means “giant tooth.”

Where do you find megalodon fossils?

Megalodons lived in most of the world's oceans, and teeth are found in marine coastal deposits around the world. In the United States, they are mostly found along the southeastern Atlantic coast in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland.