Happy Freestyle Frisky Friday, Missians!
Are you ready for some shark talk? I certainly hope so; because today is Shark Awareness Day.
I actually thought it was going to be tomorrow, because it was listed as the 15th on my animal holiday site, but I noticed that I was seeing a lot of things listing it on the 14th. So, we're gonna go with that--which means, you guys don't get a break in your blog posts! Which is a good thing!
Most people are filled with a sense of terror at the thought of being anywhere near a shark--and that's probably for the best. But what more do we know about these creatures, other than the typical things we've heard or seen in movies, (such as they can smell blood in water, and they love having humans for snacks)? Do they have any positive qualities? What makes them interesting? In today's post, we use two articles, (from International Business Times and Shark Facts.com), to tackle those questions.
Amazing and Little Known Facts on Shark Awareness Day
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/10-amazing-little-known-facts-shark-awareness-day-1570494
* Sharks protect the world from climate change When culls are carried out, populations of their prey, such as sea turtles, explode. These animals then feast on seagrass, which releases huge amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, a study from last year showed. Lead researcher Peter Macreadie said: "Stronger conservation efforts and stricter fishing regulations are needed to reinstate the important role that predators play in the ocean's carbon cycle. It's about restoring balance so that we have, for example, healthy and natural numbers of both sea turtles and sharks."
* Sharks have jelly in their snouts that has the highest proton conductivity of any biological material ever found The jelly is found in an organ known as ampullae of Lorenzini and plays an important role in how sharks are able to detect extremely weak electrical signals.
* Great white sharks use glare from the sun to hunt more efficiently They position themselves so they are attacking from the direction of the sun, with the glare directly behind them. This could mean prey are less likely to see them coming, while also stopping them from straining their eyes.
* Sharks have personalities In a recent study, scientists tested them in four different scenarios and found specific sharks always reacted in the same ways. While some sharks were found to be shyer and easily stressed, others were found to be consistently bold and less stressed.
Behavior
Many people will already have their own idea of the typical behaviour of a shark – a solitary creature roaming the seas in search of prey, attacking ferociously and instilling fear into those who dare venture into the ocean. This is predominantly due to negative media and movie portrayal, and is far from the truth.
Only a handful of species are solitary hunters, such as the great white shark, but even these species often coexist at active hunting or breeding grounds. Most execute a range of social behaviour, hunting in packs or congregating in large numbers.
Sharks typical cruise at an average speed of 8km per hour, as they need to keep moving in order to breathe. However, some shark species have adapted to benthic living, resting on the sea bed and actively pumping water over their gills. While we don’t know for sure, sharks never enter a true state of sleep. They do appear to have periods of inactivity, but their eyes remain open and even track the movements of their surroundings. However experiments have shown that some species are able to ‘sleep swim’, in which they are essentially unconscious while meandering around the ocean. This is possible due to the swimming being coordinated by their spinal cord as opposed to their brain.
Are you ready for some shark talk? I certainly hope so; because today is Shark Awareness Day.
I actually thought it was going to be tomorrow, because it was listed as the 15th on my animal holiday site, but I noticed that I was seeing a lot of things listing it on the 14th. So, we're gonna go with that--which means, you guys don't get a break in your blog posts! Which is a good thing!
Most people are filled with a sense of terror at the thought of being anywhere near a shark--and that's probably for the best. But what more do we know about these creatures, other than the typical things we've heard or seen in movies, (such as they can smell blood in water, and they love having humans for snacks)? Do they have any positive qualities? What makes them interesting? In today's post, we use two articles, (from International Business Times and Shark Facts.com), to tackle those questions.
Amazing and Little Known Facts on Shark Awareness Day
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/10-amazing-little-known-facts-shark-awareness-day-1570494
* Sharks protect the world from climate change When culls are carried out, populations of their prey, such as sea turtles, explode. These animals then feast on seagrass, which releases huge amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, a study from last year showed. Lead researcher Peter Macreadie said: "Stronger conservation efforts and stricter fishing regulations are needed to reinstate the important role that predators play in the ocean's carbon cycle. It's about restoring balance so that we have, for example, healthy and natural numbers of both sea turtles and sharks."
* Sharks have jelly in their snouts that has the highest proton conductivity of any biological material ever found The jelly is found in an organ known as ampullae of Lorenzini and plays an important role in how sharks are able to detect extremely weak electrical signals.
* Great white sharks use glare from the sun to hunt more efficiently They position themselves so they are attacking from the direction of the sun, with the glare directly behind them. This could mean prey are less likely to see them coming, while also stopping them from straining their eyes.
* Sharks have personalities In a recent study, scientists tested them in four different scenarios and found specific sharks always reacted in the same ways. While some sharks were found to be shyer and easily stressed, others were found to be consistently bold and less stressed.
General Facts and Information About Sharks:
Behavior
Many people will already have their own idea of the typical behaviour of a shark – a solitary creature roaming the seas in search of prey, attacking ferociously and instilling fear into those who dare venture into the ocean. This is predominantly due to negative media and movie portrayal, and is far from the truth.
Only a handful of species are solitary hunters, such as the great white shark, but even these species often coexist at active hunting or breeding grounds. Most execute a range of social behaviour, hunting in packs or congregating in large numbers.
Sharks typical cruise at an average speed of 8km per hour, as they need to keep moving in order to breathe. However, some shark species have adapted to benthic living, resting on the sea bed and actively pumping water over their gills. While we don’t know for sure, sharks never enter a true state of sleep. They do appear to have periods of inactivity, but their eyes remain open and even track the movements of their surroundings. However experiments have shown that some species are able to ‘sleep swim’, in which they are essentially unconscious while meandering around the ocean. This is possible due to the swimming being coordinated by their spinal cord as opposed to their brain.
General Shark Facts
- Sharks have been around for 400 million years
- Pre-dating dinosaurs and even trees!
- They have had little need to evolve
- A testament to just how effective their anatomical make-up is.
- There are over 400 types of shark
- 500 known species if you include those that are extinct.
- Sharks vary widely in size
- From the 8 inch pygmy lantern shark, right up to the 60ft whale shark.
- Despite their negative portrayal in media and film, shark attacks are extremely rare
- You’re more likely to be crushed by a falling vending machine, or be struck by lightning.
- Shark anatomy is fairly consistent across the species
- But each have their own unique features.
- Sharks have skeletons made up of cartilage rather than bone
- Cartilage is more durable and lighter than bone, helping the shark save energy.
- Unlike most fish, sharks don’t have a gas-filled swim bladder
- Instead, they have an oil filled liver that offers buoyancy, using this in conjunction with forward movement to control vertical position.
- The jaws of sharks are not attached to their skull
- They move separately , allowing them to thrust forward and latch onto prey.
- The surface of a shark’s jaws have extra support called ‘tesserae’
- These tiny hexagonal plates are made up of calcium salt deposits, giving cartilage more strength.
- Shark’s may have up to 3,000 teeth at one time
- They are fully embedded into the gums, with shape and size varying depending on their purpose.
- Sharks continuously grow multiple rows of teeth
- When a shark breaks or loses a tooth, a new one moves forward to replace it, much like a conveyor belt.
- It’s estimated that some sharks may lose 30,000 or more teeth in their lifetime!
- Tooth replacement rates vary from several days to several months.
- Most sharks have 8 rigid fins
- A pair of pectoral fins, a pair of pelvic fins, one or two dorsal fins, an anal fin and a caudal fin (tail).
- All sharks are carnivorous
- Ranging from small bivalves and crustaceans, to seals and even other sharks.
- Sharks can be found in all seas
- They generally avoid fresh water with the exception of some species, and are commonly found to a depth of 2,000 meters.
- Not all sharks are solitary
- Many sharks a very social, hunting in packs or congregating in large numbers during breeding.
- Sharks need to keep moving in order to breathe
- Some species have evolved to remain stationary, resting on the sea bed and pumping water over their gills.
- Sharks never enter a true state of sleep
- Some species are able to ‘sleep swim’, as their swimming is coordinated by their spinal cord as opposed to their brain.
- Sharks can detect blood at one part per million
- They can even determine the direction of a particular scent based on the time it takes to reach one nostril compared to the other.
- Sharks have keen eyesight
- As well as their acute smell, sharks have great eyesight even in dimly lit environments. This is due to a mirror like layer in the back of the eye called the tapetum lucidum (the same found in cats).
- Sharks have ears
- Located within a small opening on each side of their head. Sound travels faster in water, and sharks rely on sound heavily.
- Sharks can detect electricity
- Sharks have electroreceptor organs called ‘ampullae of Lorenzini’, and they use this to detect electromagnetic fields which all living creatures emit.
- Most sharks live 20-30 years
- Maturing slowly and reaching a reproductive age anywhere from 12 to 15 years
- Sharks are a k-selected species
- This means they produce a small number of larger, more developed young, as opposed to a mass number of under developed young.
That's it for now! I hope you guys learned a lot about sharks today. I'd still suggest that you not get up close and personal with one, but it's nice to have a different perspective of them, as other than vicious killers. Just remember to still be cautious and safe at beaches, (especially if you're swimming in waters known for shark activity).
Until tomorrow,
This is your host J,
signing off...
Until tomorrow,
This is your host J,
signing off...
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