TYPES OF SHARKS

To wrap it up, let's look at some of the types of sharks we've been discussing.

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BASKING SHARK:

• second largest shark (about 30 feet long and 8,000 pounds)
• filters plankton from the water using "gill rakers"

 

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BLACKTIP REEF SHARK (Carcharhinus melanopterus):

• does well in captivity so is often found in aquariums (which is why we have so many photos of them)
• grey with a black tip on its fins and white streak on its side

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BLACKTIP SHARK (Carcharhinus limbatus):

• Blacktip Sharks are different than Blacktip Reef Sharks (this confused me for quite some time)! 
• They are usually about 5 feet long although the longest on record was about 9 feet long.
• during breeding season every February and March, around 10,000 congregate along the Florida coastline.  It's like spring-break vacation for sharks!

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BULL SHARK:

• third most dangerous to people
• can swim in salt and fresh water and have even been found in the Mississipi river.

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GOBLIN SHARK

• very uncommon and likely the strangest looking shark (rarely seen the photos were actually taken in 1909)
• 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

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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.

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HAMMERHEAD SHARK:

• unlikely to attack people, but considered dangerous due to its predatory nature and its size (10 to 20 feet)
• eyes and nostrils are far apart, giving it a "hammerhead" appearance and allowing the shark to extend the range of its senses.
• their favorite food is stingrays.  Luckily for the sharks, they're immune to the stingray's venom.

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MAKO SHARK:

• fastest swimmer (43 miles per hour)
• known to leap out of the water (sometimes into boats)

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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

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PORT JACKSON SHARK:

• nocturnal
• egg-laying
• one of nine living species of bullheaded sharks
• live near Port Jackson, Australia

 

They have very interesting spiral eggs that sometimes wash up on shore:

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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.

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THRESHER SHARK:

• 10 foot tail (1/2 as long as the body) which it uses to herd small fish

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TIGER SHARK:

• second most attacks on people
• eat anything!  (have been found with boat cushions and alarm clocks in their stomachs)

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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"

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Photo by Yvonne

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

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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.

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ZEBRA SHARK:

• small, gentle shark that can be kept in an aquarium with other fish
• tail is half its length

 

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