Species of sharks, names, features and interesting facts

Thanks to Hollywood, each of us shark imagines himself as a ruthless killer of enormous sizes, day and night pursuing carefree swimmers. We will not argue, there are grounds for such an opinion: sharks are still predators, and hunting for game is a natural behavior for them. However, there are varieties of sharks, absolutely not dangerous for large creatures, to which you can safely refer a person. And there are predatory fish, which in many ways (at least in the diet) are similar to whales.

And the size of sharks in the conventional view is not so unambiguous. There are species of sharks, reaching a length of 11-15 meters (in particular, large specimens of the whale shark). And there are 15-cm babies, dangerous only for small fishes and diligently fleeing from the majority of larger counter organisms.

Shark as a whole

No matter how different the representatives of this orderly among themselves, all sharks have common features in structure, physiology and behavior:

1. The skeleton of these creatures is formed not by bone tissue, but by cartilages, which makes sharks lighter, twitchy and mobile.
2. They all lack a swimming bladder, without which most other fishes can not exist.
3. They are not covered with scales, but with a skin, and very hard, provided with the smallest sharp teeth. Many people and sea animals died at a meeting with sharks not from their teeth, but from accidental contact with the skin.
4. Among these predators there are species of sharks that do not spawn, but are viviparous. However, those who have followed the more traditional path of reproduction for the water inhabitants, the intermediate stage of development is not caviar, but rather a kind of eggs: they are very few (from 1 to 3), and they are protected by a very strong shell-shell . And from this storehouse there is not a young man, but a newly formed cub. So, specifically for sharks, the new term "egg-laying" was invented.
5. In many species of these fish, teeth grow in several rows (from 3 to 5), which number up to 3 thousand canines and are constantly updated. Caries to these creatures is not terrible!

The question is separately: how many varieties of sharks are known to science. The fact is that many of them number only a dozen or so representatives. And some are even represented in a single specimen registered by scientists. In principle, there are 150 species of sharks in the world - from those that met the oceanologists of many countries, and more than once. Considering the endangered species (mainly due to hunting for ocean predators), the number of them can be safely increased to 268. Some researchers believe that the figure can be raised to 450, but other species of sharks are known only from the evidence of biologists who have come across them accidentally.

Sharks of strangeness

This "tribe" amazes scientists with its dissimilarity, and sometimes antagonism (except for the menu), which is manifested by separate species of sharks. So, a fish is supposed to have a torpedo-like body shape - this makes it easier to hunt in an aquatic environment. But there are some types of described predators, like skates or flounder: they are looking for prey near the bottom. And others have a flat and very wide muzzle. Still others can boast of a sharp nose. But at the same time, all types of sharks are the main characteristic features.

Another feature: having sharp teeth, often continuously growing, predator fish uses them only for attack. That is, they grab their prey and tear it, but do not chew. That's why all her oral stuffing consists exclusively of fangs - the shark has no chewing teeth.

Species of sharks: the names of the most dangerous for humans

The abundance of these predators by name is very difficult to list. Some species of Russian-language analogs of names and does not exist, there are only Latin names for each variety of sharks. For children and adults, however, it is more important to know about the most dangerous of them, in case you have to be near the ocean where such creatures are found.

The largest, scary and famous shark is a big white shark. It accounts for half of all human deaths from shark attacks, and three-fourths of all the attacks of these animals. The only thing that comforts: this predator is more to taste sea lions, carrion, whales and seals. If you do not provoke it and do not get hurt in the water to the blood - it will float by.

Second place behind the tiger shark. She got the nickname thanks to the vertical stripes on her body. And the second reason was a bad character - a shark is aggressive and omnivorous. Again, without provocation to chase the person will not, although they can eat, just by habit to select everything that meets on the way.

The shark-bull by oceanologists is recognized as the most aggressive of all representatives of the perpetrator. Worst of all, it can enter the mouths of large rivers. Throws to everything that moves, can attack in shallow water. So if the resort warns that representatives of this species of sharks are seen in the water, it will be more reasonable to get to the beach. And do not go until you are allowed.

Horror of the seas: cigar shark

From the point of view of curiosity, it is much more interesting to consider the little-known species of sharks. There is a fish from this tribe, whose length is only 42 cm, and the appearance is terrible and ridiculous. The long teeth of a cigar shark make it the likeness of a sea bulldog. But in itself the predator is terrible: it can kill the ocean inhabitant once in five larger than himself.

Biologists call such creatures ectoparasites. He gnaws at a sacrifice unnoticed for herself and consumes a considerable piece of the flesh of the "bearer." Large individuals stand after the attack, but those fish / animals that are comparable or slightly larger than the size of the aggressor die.

The first "cigar" was caught in 1964 in the Gulf of Mexico, and since then only a dozen of its relatives have fallen into the hands of ichthyologists. So those who have already seen some sharks, this is hardly familiar.

Shark Angel: genius of disguise

This species of sharks has certain grounds for being so called. And it's not because of the complaisant nature: the fish just look innocent enough. The diver who meets her will be sure that he has a stingray in his way. Moved "angels" nearby, hunt from ambush, and wait in it for hours and even days, while maintaining complete immobility.

Fortunately, to people "angels" are indifferent and they are not hunted. But if the hunted hunter to step (and even more so try to catch), he will respond with a lightning and ruthless attack. The wounds will not be fatal, but bloody, painful and requiring surgeon intervention.

Unique lemon shark

This representative of the predatory tribe is truly unique. First, he can swim without harm to himself and live in fresh waters for a long time. Secondly, this shark can lie on the bottom for a long time - and even prefers to hunt in shallow depths, up to one meter. Third, thanks to its color, it blends beautifully with the surrounding landscape. A man will not eat, but his favorite dog - without difficulty.

Unlike the angel shark, he prefers to avoid contact, but the attack responds aggressively. However, there are very few of them, they are found mainly in the South American waters, so that it is not enough to meet her.