Endangered Species Quiz - Sharks

Whale sharks can weigh as much as 13 tons - the same as two African Elephants! Fortunately, those creatures are harmless so it's safe to swim with them.

The Dwarf Lantern Shark is the smallest shark species. It's smaller than a human hand.

A group of sharks is called a shoal.

Sharks were around even before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and they even survived the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago!

Bull sharks have developed special adaptations that keep salt in their bodies, enabling them to survive in freshwater.

The harmless basking shark eats plankton like the whale shark, and is also the second largest fish.

The Mako Shark is the fastest shark species, capable of swimming at speeds up to 45 mph.

Sharks are cartilaginous fish, meaning that they have skeletons made of cartilage.

Sharks give birth to live pups. The pups are born ready to swim and eat!

Great white sharks prefer to eat seals or sea lions, but can go at least a month without eating more than one.

Each time a shark loses one of its sharp, triangular teeth, a replacement comes forward to take its place. A shark can grow, lose, and replace thousands of teeth during its life.

Shark livers are big, fat, and oily, helping to keep sharks buoyant.

The hammerhead shark pins stingrays (its favorite food) to the seafloor with its wide, flat head.

There are about 500 known shark species in the world and new species are still being discovered. However, more than 50 species have seen a population drop in recent years. Human activities, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change are mostly to blame.

Shark eggs are shaped like purses, which are believed to have been left by mermaids.

Bruce is the Great White Shark in "Finding Nemo" who initially appears mean but decides that fish are friends, not food.

Shark have a unique sense called electroreception, which lets them detect electric fields made by other animals.

Shark populations have dwindled thanks to multiple threats including pollution of their ocean habitats and overfishing which reduces their food source. Shark finning also poses a threat since 100 million sharks are killed for shark fin soup, an expensive Chinese delicacy.

Sharks play a crucial role in marine ecosystems as top predators, helping maintain the balance of aquatic life.

To save the sharks, we should cut down on eating seafood to avoid overfishing and think twice before you dispose of trash into the waters. Also, public education is important to know more about those misunderstood sharks of the oceans.