Did you know that sharks existed on Earth around 200 million years before the dinosaurs? This family of animals has evolved a lot over time in a way that they present a series of differences in relation to their ancestors. Currently, there are about 375 species spread across the planet, these fish are of great relevance to the planet since they act as the official ‘cleaners’ of the oceans, bringing in refuse and dead animals.
Sensory Capacity
An interesting characteristic of these animals is the fact that they are sensorially capable of identifying different stimuli, surely you have heard that they can perceive the existence of a drop of blood among the millions of drops of water in the ocean at a distance of up to 30 meters.
Sharks have a powerful sense of smell linked to their hearing creating a sort of radar to sense vibration in the water. They use an electrical sensor to identify their prey through electrical impulses. Sharks are carnivores and their food base includes squid, fish, octopus, rays, crustaceans, dogfish, among others.
Habitat
Sharks can be found in coastal and ocean waters from the surface to the bottom. Their preference for warm water is what makes them swim for beaches. The life expectancy of these fish is up to 80 years.
Do Sharks Like Human Meat?
The answer to that question is no, when they attack people it’s simply because they confuse them with their prey. To get an idea of the 375 existing species, only 30 have already attacked humans. Let’s meet some of the most dangerous sharks on the planet and where do they live?
Hammer shark
The popular name hammerhead shark is due to the lateral projections that make its head look like a hammer. This aggressive shark has its eyes and nostrils located on these projections. Their diet includes rays, cephalopods, fish and even other sharks. This species can be found in all oceans in warm and temperate areas.
Generally, hammerhead sharks travel in schools that can have up to 100 individuals. Due to intense fishing, especially in East Asia, the number of specimens has been drastically reduced. The fins of this fish are used by some Asian peoples to prepare a very popular dish.
lemon shark
A shark that is not usually remembered on lists of dangerous sharks, but which in 2016 attacked a bather in Fernando de Noronha. The man collided with the shark while swimming and received a bite on his leg. This species can be found in tropical and subtropical regions from the coast of North America to the coast of South America. The lemon shark can be seen from the United States through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. Its presence has also been recorded in Ecuador and the Gulf of California, as well as on islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Gray Reef Shark
One of the most dangerous sharks for humans, the gray reef shark is found especially in the Indian Ocean and central Pacific region. They like to live in coastal areas close to reefs or even on the borders of continental shelves. These fish can measure up to 250 centimeters, males become mature from 130 centimeters and females from 120 centimeters.
mako shark
The great danger posed by the mako shark is its speed, which can reach up to 88 km/h. Inhabits tropical and temperate seas with an average temperature of 16°C. It can measure up to 4.3 meters in length and weigh up to 580 kg. There is a record of the case of a fisherman from Rio Grande do Sul who died in 2016 as a result of an attack by a mako shark.
mangona shark
Species considered as one of the most potentially dangerous due to its very sharp teeth does not attack humans very often, the fish needs to feel threatened to go up. The size of the species is usually the most threatening, reaching around 3.9 meters in length.
Males of this species are usually smaller than females. Its food base includes lobsters, rays, squid, fish and octopus. On the coast of São Paulo, it is known as the gray shark because of its color. It can also be found on the coast of Santa Catarina.
Whitetip Shark
This species of shark is one of the most mistakenly attacking humans. It inhabits tropical areas with warm waters and can reach up to 4 meters and weigh up to 168 kg. It has a short, rounded snout and is generally solitary, but it can also live in groups. They can measure 2.5 meters and weigh up to 70 kg, when they are born they measure between 60 and 65 cm.
One of the scariest stories involving white crow sharks happened during World War II when a German submarine torpedoed the Nova Scotia boat that sank off the coast of South Africa. There were about 1,000 men on board and only 192 survived. . Survivors went into shock as they watched the sharks devour their victims.
Tiger shark
The scariest fact about this species of shark is that its teeth are so sharp that they can cut through bones and even the shells of turtles. It is an aggressive animal that has several records of attacks on humans. A curiosity is that this shark has a distinct interest in divers, almost never attacking them.
It can be found in tropical and subtropical waters, it is common in northeastern Brazil. Up to 6 meters long, it has a robust body, a short and round snout, a broad and flat head. The teeth are triangular shaped almost like a can opener.
White shark
They can be found in all coastal regions as long as they have prey to feed on. With its 7.51 meters in length and its weight of 2.5 tons, this is the largest predatory fish species active on the planet. In 2015, an Australian surfer was seriously injured after a collision with a great white shark, but managed to scare it away and reach the shore, whereupon he was rescued.
Flat-head shark
Found in both salt and fresh water, they are not among the largest – measuring between 2.1 and 3.5 meters in length – but they can be quite frightening with their triangle-shaped teeth. The lower teeth resemble nails making it easier to hold prey. The way their teeth are able to rip through flesh is what causes such significant damage when they attack.
They like to live on the shores of beaches and may also live in lakes and rivers. A curiosity is that this shark has the ability to go up the Amazon River to Manaus. They usually live at a depth of 30 meters or even less than one meter and are found in Brazil, especially in Recife.
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