{"id":542,"date":"2014-06-24T20:37:01","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T18:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/?p=542"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:28:11","slug":"shark-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fishingbooker.com\/blog\/shark-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Shark Facts You Just Won’t Believe"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 9<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

For many of us, Sharks are the ultimate terror – lifeless eyes and razor-sharp teeth lurking in the murky deep. There’s much more to this fishy family than Hollywood lets on, though. To kick off Shark Week, we’ve gathered together the most interesting and unusual Shark facts from around the world. If you think you know all about these ocean predators, think again.<\/p>

1. There are over 400 Species of Shark<\/h2>

Christmas must be a nightmare for the Shark family, judging by how big it is. There are around 450 known species of Shark, divided into eight separate orders. Each one has adapted to survive in a completely different environment: Some spend their lives thousands of feet under the sea, others have made freshwater rivers their homes. Some Sharks<\/a> can even walk on land!<\/p>

The most staggering thing about the family is just how much they can vary in size. The smallest species of Shark is the Dwarf Lanternshark. It grows just 6 inches long, and weighs half an ounce. Compare that to a Whale Shark, which can reach 40+ feet and over 20 tons!<\/p>

Out of all these fish, how many do you think attack humans? Half, one quarter? Try 3%. Only 33 species<\/a> have ever been known to harm people. Take out the one-off, freak encounters, and that number drops to 15 “dangerous” Shark species. In fact, the vast majority of attacks were from just three Sharks: Bulls<\/a>, Tigers<\/a>, and Great Whites. <\/p>

2. They’re Older Than the Dinosaurs<\/h2>
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Sharks have been around for a really, really long time. For reference, the very first dinosaurs evolved 240 million years ago, and T-Rex didn’t show up until 70 million years ago. Sharks make these ancient fossils look like the new kids on the block. The earliest examples people have found are over 450 million years old!<\/p>

That’s not even the crazy part. While the rest of life on earth evolved and adapted into something completely new, many Sharks stayed more or less the same. Some species, like the Goblin Shark<\/a>, have been around for over 100 million years without changing at all.<\/p>

It’s a classic case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Sharks have always been the perfect predators. They found their place at the top of the food chain a long time ago, and never saw much reason to change.<\/p>

3. They Can Live for Hundreds of Years<\/h2>
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Continuing with the “they’re really old” theme of Shark facts, Greenland Sharks are some of the longest-living animals on earth. Scientists estimate that they live for up to 500 years. They don’t even reach adulthood until they turn 150.<\/p>

How does an animal live that long? By adapting to a life in the slow lane. Greenland Sharks are the slowest-moving fish in the sea. Their maximum speed is around 1.6 mph, and they usually plod along at half that. They cruise the depths of the Arctic Ocean, thriving in waters barely above freezing. <\/p>

Despite all that, they’re huge. Fully-grown Greenland Sharks can top 20 feet and weigh over half a ton. They’re a real poster child for the old saying, “Slow and steady wins the race.”<\/p>

4. You Can Count Their Rings, Just Like Trees<\/h2>
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You may be wondering, “How can we know how old a Shark is if it lives longer than us?” It’s not like several generations can keep a family Shark – it’s not a tortoise. A lot of what we know about the age of Sharks is guesswork and math based on how big they get and how quickly they grow. However, there’s a much more interesting way to find out their age.<\/p>

Shark skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. Because of this, their backbones grow in layers as they get older. Scientists can scan and count these layers<\/a>, just like you’d count the rings on a tree. Once they work out how long a layer takes to grow, they can calculate exactly how old the shark is.<\/p>

5. They Never Need to Go to the Dentist<\/h2>
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Sharks spend a lot of their time biting things – at least, that’s what they always make the headlines for. With such a busy schedule of chomping and chewing, you’d think that they’d need a serious dental plan to keep those pearly whites in order. Underwater dentists are in short supply, though, so they’ve had to adapt instead.<\/p>

To begin with, Sharks come with a built-in supply of toothpaste. Researchers in Germany found<\/a> that the teeth of several Shark species contain fluorinated calcium phosphate. That means nothing to us, either, but we’ve been reliably informed that it’s a main ingredient in toothpaste.<\/p>

Even if Sharks do lose a tooth, it’s no big deal – they can just grow another one. Unlike humans, Sharks aren’t limited to a puny two sets of teeth. They’re constantly replacing them, and some species get through an incredible 30,000 teeth over their lifetime!<\/p>

6. Their Skin is Covered in Teeth!<\/h2>
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Not satisfied with a never-ending supply of teeth in their mouths, Sharks have also grown them all over their skin. Shark skin is made up of tiny scales called “denticles.” They look like endless rows of teeth, and that’s pretty much what they are. They’re made of the same enamel as human teeth, only they’re not designed for biting things.<\/p>

When a shark moves, each individual denticle creates a vortex, a pocket of low pressure. This lets them swim more silently and efficiently than other fish. They can also flex and bend their scales to turn more quickly. In fact, they’re so aerodynamic that engineers have been looking into using the design on airplanes<\/a>.<\/p>

Shark skin is good for more than just speed, though. It also acts as a secondary skeleton<\/a>. Sharks don’t have proper bones, so their muscles attach to the inside of a “corset” of scales, instead. Sharks are covered in an exoskeleton of razor-sharp teeth. Talk about overkill!<\/p>

7. Sharks Will Eat Almost Anything<\/h2>