Sharks are a collection of cartilaginous fish, and one of the most amazing groups of vertebrates in existence. The shark is one of the oldest animals on Earth, with an age of about 455 million years. After so long, its different subspecies (465 are known) have been refined to be perfectly adapted: they are very fast and have great hunting instincts and, therefore, sharks are considered one of the greatest predators on our planet. .
Sharks have ovoviviparous reproduction; that is, they are gestated inside the mother, but inside eggs. They are usually carnivores and feed on other fish and also marine mammals. They tend to prefer the open sea, but it is common for them to live in waters relatively close to the coast and, in the depths, near reefs.
The shark in popular culture is perceived as one of the most dangerous animals for humans. However, each year there are about 100 shark attacks worldwide; the vast majority, not lethal.
Shark encounters can be due to different causes. In the first place, they are usually carried out by divers who are dedicated to studying them, and the attack occurs in response to a threatening situation or, simply, as a mere act of curiosity. Sometimes surfers are bitten, possibly mistaken for prey, a large marine mammal. But experts believe that many of these interactions are involuntary, and that sharks simply ‘attack’ out of curiosity, to play, or to experiment. The University of Florida has an international shark attack archive that monitors and studies all shark attacks that occur in the world. This global archive estimates that the probability of being eaten or attacked by a shark is 1 in 3 748 067. In return, humans hunt 73 million shark specimens a year.
Fishing activity, combined with an irrational fear of sharks, is causing, unfortunately, that humans are annihilating one of the most valuable, ancient and necessary predators in the ocean: sharks contribute to the maintenance of the health of the oceans of the world.
In any case, like any other large predator, sharks deserve to be treated with caution by human hands. Their sophistication makes them one of the most amazing animals on Earth, and they deserve our respect and admiration.
Next, we are going to take a look at some of the most fascinating shark species : their characteristics, habitat, diet and behavior.
