A shark is a fish....... in many cases a very BIG fish, but a fish nonetheless. Sharks are highly misunderstood animals.
Many people assume that sharks are horrible man-eaters -- nothing could be further from the truth. Sharks are apex predators
at the top of their food chain. Let's face it folks.... they don't come knocking on our doors to gobble us up; we're the ones
who walk into their front doors and expect them to ignore us entirely. Most sharks are actually too small to even hurt a human
being and most of the larger species are pelagic and found largely in open water, away from where most human activity
in water takes place. You actually stand a greater chance of being struck by lightning than by being attacked by a shark!
The much feared Great White Shark is actually not responsible for most shark attacks; the considerably smaller and far
more aggressive Bull Shark wins the award for the most attacks annually. The Bull Shark possesses extremely high testosterone
levels, which accounts largely for its aggressive nature. Add to that the fact that they frequent shallow waters to
breed, usually near popular beaches, and its a recipe for disaster!! The Bull Shark is also the only shark (on record)
which can survive, and in fact thrive, in both salt and fresh bodies of water.
One of the smallest, if not THE smallest shark out there is the Cookie Cutter Shark. This little dynamo measures about
a foot as a mature adult, and is virtually harmless. While it is a carnivore, it doesn't hunt in the conventional sense of
the word. The Cookie Cutter is named for the type of bite mark/scar that it leaves on its victims. To sustain itself, it takes
bites out of larger marine species, leaving behind a "cookie cutter" shaped impression, without fatally harming the target.
In case you're wondering, yes, there actually IS a recorded Cookie Cutter Shark attack - if memory serves me correctly, the
gentleman in question was bitten on the rump and certainly survived to tell the tale. Hmmm... do you think he shows that scar
off at parties? Maybe after several drinks.....
The largest species of shark is the 50 foot Whale Shark. While its size might seem frightening, this gentle giant is
absolutely no threat to anyone.... unless your plankton. Yup.... as hard as it might be to believe, the Whale Shark strains
vast amounts of plankton and other tiny marine critters (copepods, krill, etc.) just like other actual whales. They enjoy
warmer waters and follow the moving schools of plankton, their primary food source. Whale Sharks are shy, but will tolerate
having the odd diver around to take their photo or even pet them.... if they're in the mood.
So.... what do you think? Wanna know more about sharks? Check out the links on this page to learn more!!
