Sharks are the largest fish in the depths of the oceans. But, not only this distinguishes them among the animal world. It is also one of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet Earth. The ancestors of modern sharks lived in the waters of the seas and oceans more than 450 million years ago.
Sharks are unusually interesting and amazing inhabitants of the water depths. It is a mistake to assume that they are all predators and pose a mortal danger to humans.
Among sharks, there are many representatives who eat only plant-based foods - plankton, krill. There are certain species of sharks that live in freshwater bodies of water.
But the man is so arranged that he is more concerned with stories about the huge killers that live in the seas and oceans, about bloodthirsty sharks, biting a man in half.
But we will not go into these wilds of human ideas about sharks, but consider the largest representatives of this species.
Megalodon
Body length: 17 meters
The evidence that sharks are the oldest and largest representatives of the oceans are finds of the remains of an extinct species - Megalodon. Literally translated as "Big tooth."
The dimensions of this extinct giant reached 17 meters in length, and they weighed about 50 tons.
Having no natural enemies, the shark settled everywhere. Megalodon fed on large fish and cetaceans.
The ichthyols managed to establish at what time this giant lived in the depths of the sea, about 66 - 3 million years ago. Most likely, the aggravation of the struggle for survival during the food crisis led to the extinction of the predator. These large sharks could not protect their offspring from the attack of other predators.
The image of Megalodon was used 5 times in world cinema, mainly in horror films. A list of the worst horror films you can see on our site thebiggest.ru.
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Mako Shark
Body length: 3.8 meters
Mako belongs to the herring shark family and is a fast predator that lives in the oceans. Mako is capable of attacking a victim in a throw to develop a speed of up to 70 km / h.
Another of her abilities is the ability to jump above the surface of the water to a height of six meters. These characteristics make the shark not only one of the largest, but also the most agile and dangerous predator of the deep sea.
A spindle-shaped body with a pointed snout Mako reaches a length of 3.8 meters. But in nature, a specimen with a body length of 4.5 meters was recorded.
The shark feeds mainly on benthic bony and pelagic fish directly in open water. As the most aggressive predator, Mako is considered harmless to humans.
This species of shark can be found in the waters of the temperate and tropical seas. Scientists-zoologists distinguish three habitat zones - this is the Pacific (northeast), Indo-Pacific and Atlantic.
The weight of the shark with this length reaches 554 kg. An interesting fact, once Hemingway caught Mako weighing 357 kg.
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White shark
Body length: 4.5 meters
The white shark or the killer shark is found in the open and coastal waters of all oceans except the Arctic Ocean. In science, it is also called the Great White Shark.
One of the largest sharks that live in the seas and oceans. It features powerful jaws and large sizes - up to 4.5 meters in length. But there have been cases in history when it was possible to catch a white shark 6 meters long.
A dangerous shark for humans, at the same time is on the verge of complete extinction. Now scientists estimate their population at 3,500 individuals. A large number of cases of attacks on humans have been recorded in history.
The fossils of the ancestors of the white shark are found in sediments 15 million years ago, to the Pliocene period. Mainly find the teeth of a large shark. The modern species of the Great White Shark has been known since 1758.
White sharks, mainly living constantly on the same coast, make transoceanic migrations, returning again to their former habitat.
Cases of overcoming a distance of 20,000 km by this species of sharks have been recorded. Science cannot yet explain such strange behavior of White sharks.
As already noted, this is the most dangerous species of sharks for humans. From 1990 to 2011, 139 cases of attacks by representatives of this species of sharks on humans were recorded. Another danger lurks man, it would seem, in a safe Mediterranean Sea. Through the Strait of Gibraltar, a white shark enters the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, ichthyologists note a decrease in their numbers in this region due to commercial and commercial fishing.
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Six-shark
Body length: 5.4 meters
This is the largest member of the multi-gill shark family. They can reach a length of 5.4 meters.
The habitat of these sharks is subtropical, tropical and temperate waters of the oceans.
Six-shark shark lives both in coastal waters and offshore. These sharks are able to descend to a depth of 2.5 kilometers. In tropical waters, there were no cases where the Six-Shark shark came close to the shore.
Like most sharks, the six-gill has a spindle-shaped body, with a wide head. The small eyes in the depths glow blue-green. Sluggish at first glance, it can develop a fairly high speed in the pursuit of prey. Since the area of her residence is diverse, the food of the Six-gill shark is also diverse. Do not disdain and eating relatives.
To date, the shark, known to science since 1788, has never attacked a person. At least not one such case has been documented.
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Tiger shark
Body length: 5.5 meters
Extremely dangerous predator - Tiger shark - this is one of the most common species of sharks living in the seas and oceans.
This is a large shark, reaching sizes up to 5.5 m in length, found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters and in open water. It is noteworthy that the males are smaller than the females in size and grow up to only 4.5 meters. They are distinguished from other sharks by the fact that they are mainly nocturnal. The predator has a diverse diet, from small crustaceans to seabirds and turtles.
Sometimes Tiger Sharks have thoughtful hunting. In July, a large number of sharks gather off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands, off the west coast of which nestlings of dark-backed albatrosses begin to learn to fly. Immature birds sometimes fall into the water, where they become easy prey of a predator.
The tiger shark, unlike its relatives of gray sharks, is an ovoviviparous species. All other representatives of this species are viviparous. By the way, their eggs are one of the largest in the world.
Having a huge mouth and powerful jaws, the Tiger shark is considered the most dangerous shark species for humans.
There have been episodes of shark attacks on people in boats, but this is not common. On average, in Hawaii, 3-4 cases of attacks on people per year are documented.
Tiger shark is an omnivorous predator. It does not tear the victim, but swallows it, and then the body throws it out, which does not absorb the stomach.
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Pelagic Largemouth Shark
Body length: 5.7 meters
Safe for humans Large-mouthed shark eats only plankton. Discovered relatively recently, in 1976, this shark is the only representative of the Great-shark Megachasma. A large-mouthed shark, the least studied scientifically, so very little is known about behavior and lifestyle. To date, only 102 individuals of these sharks have been recorded.
They live in tropical and subtropical waters of the oceans at a depth of 1,500 meters. The dimensions of famous representatives reach 5.7 meters in length. The largest representative was caught off the coast of Japan in May 2006. It was a female Larger shark. The find was set free. But, probably, being in the nets, she was injured and was soon found dead on the surface of the ocean.
The appearance of the shark is quite aggressive. Large eyes and a large mouth are arched. There are two fins on the back. Almost all sharks caught show signs of attack by other members of the shark family.
For humans, the large-mouthed shark is not dangerous. It is of no commercial interest, as it is very rare. Due to their appearance, these large sharks are popular with aquariums and museums.
Perhaps the meeting of a man with this shark in past centuries, gave rise to legends of sea monsters.
By the way, on thebiggest.ru there is a very interesting article about the most unusual sharks in the world. We recommend reading it.
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Giant hammerhead shark
Body length: 6.1 meters
Unusual in appearance, the shark reaches a length of 6.1 meters. Warm temperate and tropical waters of all the oceans of the world chose the hammerhead shark as their habitat.
Shark eats crustaceans, cephalopods, bony and cartilaginous fish. Scientists have noticed that the stingers are the greatest delicacy for her. With the help of a hammer, a shark immobilizes these inhabitants of the deep sea and eats. This shark is a rather active predator, and science knows the facts of eating its own kind.
On the head of the shark are two large outgrowths, on the back there is a large sickle-shaped fin.
The body, if you do not take into account the head, has a classic torpedo shape. The structure of the fish allows you to develop greater speed. The hammerhead shark is a loner and shuns other representatives of reef sharks. It is interesting that these fish ate and gathered in schools, only females prevailed in such groups. But these sharks briefly stray in flocks and hunt alone, perfectly guided in the dark.
Over the history of observation, 34 cases of attacks on humans have been recorded. But it is difficult to determine how many of them were provoked, and when the shark attacked itself. Due to commercial interest, this species of shark is at risk of extinction.
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Common sea fox
Body length: 7.6 meters
The common sea fox is the only representative of the family of the same name. In temperate and tropical waters 3 species of these sharks live.
A remarkable feature of the body structure of the Fox shark is the long upper lobe of the tail, which is why the British call it the “thresher shark. She uses this part of her body to knock down her victim in a group and stun her with powerful blows.
The fox shark entered scientific references in 1810. In length, it reaches 6 meters. During the hunt, these predators are able to jump high out of the water.
This family of sharks, despite the formidable appearance, is not dangerous to humans. They prefer the open water of the seas and oceans, sinking, sometimes to a depth of over 500 meters. In the coastal waters, fox sharks were encountered quite rarely.
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Greenland polar shark
Body length: 7 meters
Today it is the only known species of sharks that live in northern waters. The length of the largest studied specimen is 6.4 meters, and weight - 1 ton. According to scientists, the largest individuals of this cold-loving shark can reach a size of more than 7 meters in length and weight of 1,500 kg.
For less energy consumption in cool waters, the aul moves very slowly. It feeds mainly on fish and carrion. But they belong to superpredators and, hunting for seals and other sharks. In winter, the Greenland shark is the most dangerous enemy for seals.
It rarely attacks a person. In the Eskimo epic there is a legend about the origin of the shark. The woman, having washed her hair with urine, stretched it to dry on the ropes. A sweeping wind blew hair into the sea, and from them a large fish, the skalugsuak, was reborn. So, according to the Eskimos, the Greenland shark appeared.
On average, these sharks live 270 years, but recently, scientists have found an individual whose age is at least 390 years. Thus, this is not only one of the largest sharks in the world, but also the longest-lived shark on Earth. And about the longest-living organisms on the planet, read our article.
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Giant shark
Body length: 9.8 meters
The giant (or Gigantic) shark is in second place on the list of the largest sharks living in the waters of the oceans, second only to the size of a whale shark. The maximum length of known specimens reaches 9 meters in males and 9.8 in females. In marine literature, there is evidence of a meeting with 15-meter representatives of this species of sharks.
The giant shark has a massive body. The body Thomas is cigar-shaped, characteristic for laminated fish. Weight reaches 4 tons. The massive jaw has over 100 teeth. But having such an impressive size, the shark eats plankton.
The giant shark chose the cool and warm waters of the temperate zones of all oceans as its habitat. They live mainly at a depth of 950 meters. Cases of migrations have been recorded when individual representatives of a gigantic shark cross the equator. But the shark cannot live in these waters, they are too warm for her.
A distinctive feature of the shark is the way of feeding. A shark does not draw water into itself, but simply passes it through itself, as if filtering it. In an hour, 2,000 tons of water are filtered through a shark. Plankton remains on the gill partitions.
The giant shark poses no danger to humans and allows scuba divers to swim close enough to themselves.
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Whale shark
Body length: 18 meters
The largest pelagic shark from the family of rinkodont sharks, also the largest of all modern fish species found in the seas, oceans and lakes. The length of these sharks can reach up to 18 m.
The whale shark feeds exclusively on plankton, filtering it through special gill arches. The giant shark does not move faster than 5 km / h, and spends most of its life near the surface of the water. This species of shark is very rare. Scientists note that before the population of whale sharks was not large. And now, the influence of human economic activity on the living conditions of Tiger sharks has further reduced their numbers.
You can meet a shark near the warm ocean waters of low latitudes, while making migrations over long distances. After migration, they always return to their previous habitat.
The whale shark is very slow and slow. It does not fall below 70 meters in water. This is primarily due to the characteristics of nutrition and the method of obtaining food. A day can eat up to 200 kg of plankton and small fish. But there have been cases when the shark descended to great depths in search of food.
Whale shark is absolutely safe for humans. Its slowness and slowness, leisurely movement on the surface is used by divers to swim to the shark and even touch.
The whale shark is the smallest fish on the planet. Ichthyologists note that no more than 1,000 individuals of this species of fish swim in the waters of the ocean.
Conclusion
The oceans are the least studied area of our planet. We know a lot about the representatives of the waters of the seas and oceans, but there are even more unexplored places that people have not yet reached. And who knows what other discoveries await us in the future, but thebiggest has a huge interest in this topic. Perhaps in the near future one more large species of the shark family will be included in scientific reference books. And perhaps observing the already known sharks will tell something new in their behavior and way of life, and we will write about it as soon as possible.
Article author: Valery Skiba