Shark Awareness Day
Did you know that almost 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins? That’s just one of the many facts I learned while doing some research on Shark Awareness Day and became aware of exactly what sharks do for our oceans.
Sharks have been around for roughly 400 million years and there are nearly 500 different species of sharks in the world today. They are divided into 8 classifications. Out of 500 species of sharks there are only 3 species of sharks that are responsible for the most human attacks; the great white, tiger, and bull shark. Also, the odds of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million! You might have a better chance at winning the lottery!
Sharks have a streamlined body and fins that help swim through water, fast. Their gills take in oxygen directly from the water and they never need to surface to breathe. They also have an outrageous number of sharp teeth that when one is lost a new one grows back.
Did you know…
– Their noses have a sensory organ on it that picks up electrical signals from its potential prey?
– Their eyes are larger if they live deeper in the water?
– They can sense vibrations?
– They have a two-chambered heart in the shape of a “S” that is in the head region?
Sharks are known to have some of the largest brains of all the fish species and are at the top of the food chain in every part of the ocean. Sharks also play a large role in the ocean’s ecosystem, even more than fish.
They eat everything they can in the ocean, from dead carcasses to sick prey, which helps keep the population healthy. They also keep marine life population at the right size so that one species does not become too populous in the ocean. Through this control, sharks indirectly maintain the sea grass and coral reef habitats as well. If sharks did not play such a vital role, or had a decrease in numbers, or started to become extinct, the oceans would be out of balance.
Shark Awareness Day was designed to provide education and awareness of how important sharks are to the ecosystem of our oceans. These informational programs are here to help people decipher shark myths from facts and identify which organizations you can work with to help make sure sharks avoid extinction!
info@ScienceMadeFun.net
800.444.4968