QUICKBITS: SHARKS - In the seas, sharks rule! - Short Story

Ranger Rick, July, 2000 by Elizabeth Schleichert

ANCIENT SEA DWELLERS

Sharks are amazing fish. They've been swimming in seas around the world for more than 300 million years. That's way before the first dinosaurs ever showed up. Sharks haven't changed much since then either. Many are the top hunters in the seas and have few enemies--mainly just other sharks, killer whales, and people.

A SWELL SENSE OF SMELL

A shark's sense of smell is much better than ours. If the scent is strong enough, a shark can track a bleeding fish from up to a mile (1.6 km) away.

TOSS the TOOTHBRUSH!

If you were a shark, you'd never have to worry about brushing and flossing your teeth. These animals get new teeth all the time.

A shark's jaw is lined with rows of teeth, one behind the other. When one tooth falls out, a new one will soon move forward to replace it. A shark may go through 50,000 teeth in a lifetime!

POWER TAILS

A shark's tail is a mighty machine! It has two parts called lobes, with the upper one larger than the lower one. This may help lift the shark up as it swims, or it may power it forward more quickly. A thresher shark (see next page) has an upper tail lobe that's as long as its body. Threshers use their giant tails to stun their prey--one whack and there's a meal!

HIDDEN EARS AND TRICKY EYES

Sharks can hear the sounds from distant prey or enemies. But you can't see a shark's ears--they're hidden inside its head.

When taking a bite out of a fish or other meal, some species of sharks protect their eyes from injury with a special hard eyelid. It rolls up over their eyes like a shield.

SPECIAL SCALES

Most fish have smooth, overlapping scales. But sharks have hard, toothlike ones called denticles (DEN-tih-kulz). Touch the skin of most sharks and it feels like sandpaper. It might even scratch your hand! Denticles are like a tough coat of armor.

MAN-EATERS?

Lots of people are afraid of sharks. But some sharks, such as the epaulette shark at left, are too small to hurt anybody. Others are huge but eat nothing but tiny plants and animals. Even the so-called "man- eaters" don't attack people on purpose--they may mistake us for seals or other prey. Fewer than 15 people around the world die from shark attacks each year.

SAVE OUR SHARKS!

There are about 400 species (kinds) of sharks, and they come in many shapes and sizes. (The lengths here are averages.) Some, including the great white shark, the whale shark, and the basking shark, are in trouble. That's because people have killed too many of them--either on purpose or by accident when catching other fish. Some people are working hard to help save these sharks. Let's hope these ancient fish can make a comeback!

hard eyelid covering eye

nostril

denticle

Wobbegong Shark (8 to 13 ft.)

Hammerhead Shark (3 to 18 ft.)

Thresher Shark (11 to 20 ft.)

Basking Shark (26 ft.)

Great White Shark (15 ft.)

Whale Shark (30 ft.)