From beach days to movie nights, it seems like sharks are everywhere during summer. I’d hate to run into a shark in the water, but I love learning about them from the safety of my house! Let’s meet 5 fascinating sharks you’ve probably never heard of.
The gadget shark
Cookie cutter sharks make every meal sugar cookie-shaped! Every night, these sharks swim from the deep ocean to the surface, looking for large predators like dolphins and great white sharks. Cookie cutter sharks are only 20 inches long, and their bioluminescence (ability to glow in the dark) makes them seem like easy prey. But predators are a cookie cutter shark’s meal! When a dolphin or large shark gets close, a cookie cutter shark takes a huge bite out of the predator’s side before quickly retreating to the ocean floor. The predator is left with a circle of flesh cut out of its body!
The Elizabethan eel shark
Frilled sharks get their name from the fluffy gill slits around their neck. Unlike most sharks which have five gill slits, frilled sharks have six! They might look like eels, but these sharks are actually members of a primitive shark family. Experts think ancient relatives of frilled sharks might have been even longer and frillier! Frilled sharks could also explain sailor’s sea serpent sightings. If I saw one near my ship, I would definitely be surprised!
The garbage can shark
Tiger sharks lose their stripes! Juvenile tiger sharks have convincing tiger-like stripes, but as they mature, the sharks’ stripes fade until they’re barely noticeable. What they lack in jungle style, they make up for in predatory skills. Tiger sharks can hunt down fish, sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, crustaceans, and even sea snakes! While many sharks eat strange things, tiger sharks are the official “garbage cans of the ocean”. They’ll eat almost anything, including plastic bags, plastic drink bottles, aluminum cans, clothes, shoes, ship anchors, coal, and license plates!
The ancient slingshot shark
Goblin sharks are the oldest species of shark alive today. Their shark family first appeared 125 million years ago! Goblin sharks use their long snouts to detect weak electrical signals from other animals. When they get close to their prey, they deploy their best weapon of all. They extend their jaws up to three inches, traveling at a speed of 10 feet per second, and swallow their prey whole!
The grim reaper shark
Thresher sharks’ tails are longer than their bodies! These sharks have tails that resemble a thresher, a tool used to harvest crops. But a thresher sharks’s tail doesn’t reap wheat. It’s a weapon to stun prey! A thresher shark swims into a school of fish, then whips its tail around. The flat tail smacks fish into a momentary trance so the shark can gobble them up!
From nose to tail, sharks can be amazing! What’s your favorite shark ability? Click the blue button below to vote! 👓