SHARK-ATTACK? 
The chances of being attacked by a shark are staggeringly low – one in 3.7 million, to be exact – but it’s understandable why we see them as such a big threat. Films often depict them as huge killing machines – but humans aren’t exactly their ideal prey. They don’t even like the taste of us! There are about 80 unprovoked shark attacks on humans each year.
Tiger sharks, Bull sharks and Great Whites have all killed humans, so are considered deadly to us. The Oceanic Whitetip shark is also considered deadly to us, but we don’t know the number of people they’ve chowed down on as their prey is often survivors of shipwrecks. Oceanic Whitetips are critically endangered due to overfishing.
But not all sharks are threats! Whale sharks have been known to allow humans to ride on them, and there is some evidence that sharks like to be petted like dogs. Although we wouldn’t recommend you try this on a great white!
Even the most fearsome sharks have something to fear. Great Whites are scared of dolphins, even though they’re known to eat them. Dolphins are known to attack aggressive sharks as a pod. There have even been many sightings of orca whales, the biggest of the dolphin species, preying upon sharks. In just 2020, the South African government blamed their vanishing Great White population on the whales!
TOOTHSOME GRINS!
Sharks are featherweight champions! They have skeletons made of cartilage – that’s the lighter stuff that makes up your ears and nose – instead of bone
You can tell a shark from its bite because their teeth are all different. Rather than two sets of teeth, they have rows upon rows. Their teeth grow like our fingernails, continually growing, falling out and being replaced. Some sharks lose up to 100 teeth a day, while they can have up to 3,000 teeth in their mouths at any one time! What a mouthful!
They have sandpaper-like skin, made up of placoid scales – they’re son of like teeny tiny teeth! Their rough skin helps them swim, and humans have even made swimsuits based on their clever biology! A Whale shark’s skin is so thick. it’s essentially bulletproof. Bull sharks have 50 rows of teeth. while the Sandbar shark can grow roughly 35,000 teeth in its lifetime!
Answer the following questions in full sentences
- How do films depict sharks?
- What are the chances of being attacked by a shark?
- Name three type of sharks that have killed humans
- Who are Great White Sharks scared of?
- Who was blamed by the South African government for the disappearance of the Great White population?
- Why are sharks known as feather weights?
- How do sharks teeth grow?
- How many teeth can a shark have in it’s mouth at any one time?
- What has shark’s skin been described as?
- How many rows of teeth does a Bull shark have?
- How many teeth can a Sandbar Shark have in it’s lifetime?