do not fear sharks no more...
16 years & 4 months ago
22nd Jul 2008 21:09 In this blog, I hope for you to learn more about sharks, and fear them no more. I did type and search the web for this info. Please click READ ALL before proceeding. :]
Thank you.
Movies such as ???Jaws??? and ???Deep Blue Sea??? have contributed to giving a bad reputation to sharks. When you consider all the facts compared to the Hollywood version, the question we can ask ourselves is: ???Are all types of sharks man eaters???? Let???s look at some facts about sharks!
Fact #1: ???Did you know that 80% of shark species are either unable or unlikely to even come in contact with humans???? In fact, most of the 375 to 475 known types of sharks are gentle and a lot smaller than the fierce Great White shark.
Fact #2: ???Did you know that 80% of all types of sharks are smaller than 6.5 feet in length while 50% of them measure less than 3.5 feet in length.??? This simply means that sharks this small are likely to be lacking interest towards human preys.
Fact #3: ???Did you know that it is not true that the largest the shark, the more likely it is to attack humans and be referred to as man eaters???? In fact, the two largest sharks living in our oceans are also known as gentle giants? Yes, while the Whale shark and the Basking shark are in fact plankton eaters which explain the fact that humans do not even look appetizing to them.
Fact #4: ???Did you know that of all the shark species, there are four types that are more likely to attack humans???? As you can see, four species is far from being even close to the 375 to 475 types of sharks that ended up sharing the bad reputation of man eaters. While 20% of all known shark species are considered potentially dangerous to humans, there are only a few that may attack human preys out of confusion or when feeling threatened. These species are: the Great White shark, the Tiger shark, the Bull shark and the Great Hammerhead shark.
Fact #5: ???Did you know that shark attacks are not planned like in ???Jaws???? Sharks brain is not big enough to ???think things through??? like humans. In fact, sharks only react by instinct. It sees something that is in the water, it is hungry, and it may decide to taste it. It can be a man, a can, a license plate or anything else for that matter. More than likely, after the first bite, it will let go of its human prey as it is too bony for their own taste, contrary to a seal or a sea lion.
Fact #6: ???Did you know that some sharks can even be trained in aquariums???? In fact, it is done at the Chicago???s John G. Shedd Aquarium. They have not been training them tricks to perform in a show but for feeding purposes. Since they put all their shark species in the same tank, to avoid a feeding frenzy, they have trained each specie to respond to their own auditory call as well as a colored and high-contrast symbol when their feeding time has come. The most responsive specie is the Zebra shark which responds well to the touch and act like a well-trained puppy, enjoying being petted on their stomach and on the snout. As you can see, not all sharks attack humans.
Fact #7: ???Did you know that most types of sharks actually have impressive eyesight???? The specie that has the best eyesight is actually the Hammerhead shark because of the position of his eyes on the far side of its hammer shape snout. The specie that has one of the poorest eyesight is actually the Greenland shark since it prefers swimming close to the ocean floor and in colder waters, it has actual parasites growing on its eyes, almost blinding it. Although most sharks have better eyesight than us, it still can get confused and attack humans thinking of them as a seal, especially when lying on their stomach on a surfboard. Why? It is simply because since sharks tend to go full tilt from underneath their prey to take it by surprise, the shadow against the light plays tricks with their vision.
So, as you may now know, sharks have a bad rap. It's not fair.
I'm not going to go around marapets saying 'SAVE THE SHARKS!' or anything. xD
Okay, look at it this way.
Sharks-Kill 1-2 people on average a year. One year, they killed 4. That was 20 years ago though.
Now, let's compare the deaths a year by sharks to three other things.
Pigs-Pigs kill 32 people a year. Ha ha. Fear pigs now? xD
Hot water-People taking baths turn on the hot water and walk away. Sometimes their water heater breaks and begins to boil the water at outrageous degrees. Then the person plops down in the water and is melted to death. :] On average, 33, yes, THIRTY THREE people get killed that way every year. :]
Holes-Yup. Holes. People sometimes fall in holes and break their neck. On average, 8 peopleare killed a year by holes. :] That is DOUBLE what sharks kill.
Still fear them?
Well what I've recently found out, that SOME, not most but SOME of the very nasty shark attcks you find on the computer are the same person, like 23 times. They just change the skin tone and clothing.
I'm sure we all know this.
MOST attacks on humans are because sharks mistake us for their prey. So, they come, take a chuck out of us, realize it's not yummy enough to be their usual meal, and leave us. Harsh, huh?
But no need to worry, take a look at this.
The chances of you dying by a shark gulping you down is
1:1,000,000
Chances of you dying on an airplane by a drunken piolet is
1:10
So when you're waiting on your plane, double check the bar to make sure your piolet isn't their gulping down six martinies. :]
Here are some of the sharks, and a few facts about them-
ANGEL SHARK:
-flat body like a stingray -- you can tell the shark is not a ray because the pectoral fins are not attached to the head.
-They bury themselves in the sand or mud with only the eyes and part of the top of the body exposed.
-They are bottom feeders, eating crustaceans like clams and mollusks and fish that are swimming close to the ocean floor
BASKING SHARK:
-second largest shark (about 30 feet long and 8,000 pounds)
-filters plankton from the water using "gill rakers"
BLACKTIP REEF SHARK:
-does well in captivity so is often found in aquariums (which is why we have so many photos of it)
-about 6 feet long.
-grey with a black tip on its fins and white streak on its side
BLUE SHARK:
-about 12 feet long.
-sleek, tapered body
-among the fastest swimming sharks and can even leap out of the water
-diet consists mostly of squid, but it will eat almost anything
-considered dangerous[have attacked people]
BULL SHARK:
-third most dangerous to people
-can swim in salt and fresh water and have even been found in the Mississipi river.
COOKIECUTTER SHARK:
-a small shark (less than 2 feet long)
-eats perfecty round chunks out of living whales and dolphins by clamping its teeth extremely sharp teeth onto them.
GOBLIN SHARK
-very uncommon and likely the strangest looking shark (rarely seen)
-pale, pinkish grey skin with a long pointed snout (it looks a bit like a sword on top of its head)
-lives in very deep water.
-found off the coast of Japan in 1898... until that time it was believed to have been extinct for 100 million years
GREAT WHITE SHARK:
-more attacks on people than any other type.
-averages 12 feet long and 3,000 pounds.
-unlike most sharks, it can lift its head out of the water.
HAMMERHEAD SHARK:
-unlikely to attack people, but considered dangerous due to its predatory nature and its size
-eyes and nostrils are far apart, giving it a "hammerhead" appearance and allowing the shark to extend the range of its senses.
MAKO SHARK:
-fastest swimmer (43 miles per hour)
-known to leap out of the water (sometimes into boats)
NURSE SHARK:
-bottom dwelling shark
-thin, fleshy, whisker-like organs on the lower jaw in front of the nostrils that they use to touch and taste
-hunt at night, sleep by day
-common at aquariums
SANDTIGER SHARK:
-the sandtiger shark has very pointed teeth -- the better to eat you with (if you're a fish!
-10 feet long
-predator (carnivore)
-nocturnal (hunts mostly at night)
-Babies: The mother shark has two uterus. Many sharks begin in the uterus, but the strongest one in each uterus eats all the others before they are born.
SPINY DOGFISH SHARK:
-the most abundant shark
-3 to 4 feet long
-slightly poisonous spines (not very harmful to people)
-used by people for food and research.
THRESHER SHARK:
-10 foot tail (1/2 as long as the body) which it uses to herd small fish
TIGER SHARK:
-second most attacks on people
-eat anything! (have been found with boat cushions and alarm clocks in their stomachs)
WHALE SHARK:
-biggest shark and biggest fish
-it isn't a whale (whales are mammals, not fish)
-grow to 45 feet long and 30,000 pounds, but average about 25 feet long
-filters plankton from the water using "gill rakers"
WHITE TIP REEF SHARK:
-probably the most common shark encountered by divers and snorkelers on tropical reefs
-about 3 feet long on average though it can be as big as 6 feet.
-dark grey with a white tip on the first and sometimes on the second dorsal fin as well as the tail lobes
WOBBEGONG SHARK:
-about 8 feet long, but virtually harmless.
-lives in Australia and Pacific coastal reefs
-lies on the bottom of the ocean waiting for fish to come near.
filters food into its mouth with worm-like projections on its head
razor-like teeth
-yellow, brown and gray camouflage colouring.
ZEBRA SHARK:
-small, gentle shark that can be kept in an aquarium with other fish
-tail is half its length
Now here are some photos of a few of the sharks. You can easily search google for some more. :]
Baskin Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/Basking%20Shark.jpg
Blue Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/Blue%20shark.jpg
Great White Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/great%20white%20shark%202.jpg
Megamouth Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/Megamouth%20shark.jpg
Nurse Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/nurse%20shark%202.jpg
Whale Shark[largest fish on the planet!];
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/whale%20shark%202.jpg
Wobbegong Shark[AKA;Carpet Shark];
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/Wobbegong.jpg
Zebra Shark;
http://sharks.findoutnow.org/images/zebra%20shark.jpg
Now, and ENORMOUS shark that is extinct is called the Megalodon Shark.
Look at this. It's camparing the GREAT WHITE SHARK TOOTH to the Megalodon Shark Tooth. :]
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Megalodon_and_fossil_great_white_shark_teeth.jpg/734px-Megalodon_and_fossil_great_white_shark_teeth.jpg
BUT!
I bet you didn't know, that if Megalodon Sharks WEREN'T extinct, they still wouldn't be the largest shark there is.
That would still be the HUGE Whale Shark.
Well, I hope this informed you on sharks. I hope you no longer fear them. I also hope this helped gain more knowledge to others.
:]
I would be glad to share this blog. So if you want to use this on YOUR blog, please give me, beachchick1997, credit. I did type and search the web for this information. It took me several hours too. If I catch you trying to take credit for it, you WILL be reported.
:]
Thank you for reading and I hope I informed you in a humorous way.
With love,
Beach
An ALL time shark lover.
<3
THIS WAS ALL CREATED BY BEACHCHIK!
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