When I was a young kid I loved sharks, I would often to go the library and pick up a whole stack of books about sharks which I would spend hours reading and looking at the photos. I also loved when there was a National Geographic special on tv that featured sharks. Below are a few different types of sharks you should know about.
1) Great White Shark
This is probably the most popular shark that people generally know or talk about. Mainly because it is a fearsome creature and also known as white death. The great white shark often reaches lengths of more than 20 feet and weighs up to 2.5 tons (5,000 lbs). It is the worlds largest known predatory fish and lives in almost all coastal waters with exception to arctic waters. There are larger amounts of great whites in the coasts off of Australia, California, and South Africa among other areas. This is not a shark I would want to be anywhere near while swimming in the water. I would probably pee in my swimming trunks.
2) Mako Shark
A mako shark is one of the coolest looking sharks in my opinion. It is a very sleek looking fish and one of the fastest sharks in the ocean. There are two types of makos, longfin and shortfin mako sharks, the longfin is the larger of the two. Mako sharks usually grow to an average of 6-10 feet in length and weigh between 400-500 lbs. Mako sharks are usually found in warmer tropical waters. Shortfin makos have been known to reach speeds of over 30 mph and there are reports of them moving at higher bursts of over 45 mph. The shark can also jump over 25 feet in the air.
3) Tiger Shark
The tiger shark has a distinct look with dark stripes similar to that of a tiger. It is the 2nd largest predatory shark after the great white. Grown tiger sharks average 11-14 feet in length and can weigh up to a ton. This shark usually hunts at night and lives on a diet that consists of fish, seals, birds, other sharks, squid, and dophins, it actually will eat almost anything though. The tiger shark is known as the “wastbasket of the sea”.
4) Whale Shark
The whale shark is the largest living fish and can grow up to 40 feet long and weigh up to 15 tons. Now that’s a whale of a shark! Get it? Whale shark, whale of a shark. I’m dumb sometimes. Anyways, it is a filter feeding fish and feeds mostly on plankton, krill, and the like. The whale shark is known to be a gentle shark and not a significant threat to humans. I think it is fascinating that this shark is kept in captivity in a few aquariums around the world right now, I would love to see that.
5) Thresher Shark
I have always thought the thresher shark was an interesting shark because of their long tails, which are about a third of their body length. They are also known as the fox shark by some. The thresher shark is usually found in the open ocean for the most part. There are several types of thresher sharks but the largest species can reach lengths of up to 20 feet. Their long tales are used as a weapon to stun prey. I remember I read about a story where a thresher shark whipped its tale out of the water and cut off a mans head, I am not sure this was a confirmed report or not however.
There are many other types of sharks to get to know, so go to the library pick up a few books and read up!
