Shark Awareness Day 🦈

[LukasB]

Shark Awareness Day 🦈

Duh du du du du du  🏊🏻‍♂️🦈 (humming the theme from jaws)!! Guys it is Shark Awareness Day today. But contrary to what most people think, this day is not about standing on beaches and screaming at divers and swimmers.

Sharks are impressive hunters and predators, yet the sad fact remains that these magnificent creatures are more threatened by people than we are by sharks. The worldwide demand for shark-fin soup, shark-tooth medallions, and a false sense of security on beaches everywhere, all combine to leave sharks persecuted and endangered, with millions of them being killed each year.

Like top predators in any ecosystem, sharks play an essential role in keeping the seas healthy and productive. For shark awareness day we collected some really interesting shark facts for you. It is important that we protect these amazing creatures. If you would like to know how you can see how the WWF can be supported here.

THERE ARE OVER 500 SPECIES OF SHARK

143 of these are under threat, listed by IUCN from vulnerable to critically endangered.

THEY CAN VARY DRAMATICALLY IN SIZE

From the smallest dwarf lantern shark (which is about the size of a human hand), to the largest which can be up to 12 metres long - the whale shark.

SHARKS LIVE IN MOST OCEAN HABITATS

They can be found in beautiful, tropical coral reefs, to the deep sea, and even under the Arctic sea ice.

THEY CAN BE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

Goblin sharks can be a bright pink colour, and hammerhead sharks have hammer-shaped heads (duh!), which they’ve been known to use to pin stingrays against the sea floor!  There’s even a cookie cutter shark, which are named for the round ‘cookie’ bite marks they leave. 

WE GET SHARKS AROUND THE UK

From basking sharks to blue sharks and even Greenland sharks.  The basking shark is Britain’s largest fish (and the second largest in the world). It can grow up to 11 metres long and weigh up to 7 tonnes - about the size and weight of a double-decker bus.

SHARKS HAVE A SIXTH SENSE

All sharks have a 'sixth sense' that helps them hone in on prey during the final phase of attack: the ‘amupllae of lorenzini’ are found on sharks' snouts and can sense the electric fields emitted by animals in the surrounding water.

THEY'RE UNDER THREAT

Many sharks are accidentally caught in fishing gear, as well as caught deliberately for their fins, which are a delicacy in Asia.   Their ocean home is also in danger. From climate change warming the water - affecting both habitats, prey and shark population shifts - to plastic pollution, which could cause entanglement or be ingested, especially by filter feeders.

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Do you have anymore shark facts for the list? And who has ever seen one in real life? Are you scared of sharks? Let me know below?

[Cleoriff]

@LukasB 

The nearest Shark encounter I had was at MGM studios in Florida when I went on the terrifying Jaws ride

We never had any idea what side of our boat they would pop up on!!

My sons friend loves shark dives and thinks they are wonderful intelligent creatures. He tried to go shark diving once a year. Always abroad though, so I doubt that will happen again anytime soon.

[LukasB]

@Cleoriff I went on the Jaws ride too haha - I loved it!

[pgn]

Sharks, yes - seen them being offloaded from the boats many days. Biggest was a tuna, took 12 men to walk it off the boat and onto the flatbed truck, following the green line below:

As a child, I'd be sat on the steps of the house, where the blue box is, watching the proceedings. 

[LukasB]

Oh @pgn love this hahaha - this is how I want to be told stories from now on with lines and squares!!!

[Mi-Amigo]

Thank you for a fascinating topic @LukasB 

I never been shark-watching [can`t swim, accounts for that]

I appreciate all that is done to protect any of the species which we share this planet with, not least sharks

[LukasB]

Thanks @Mi-Amigo - True we should protect all species but sharks are todays special