Shocking and Surprising: 10 Fun Facts about Sharks that will Keep You Hooked

By Bethany Lam

Before I begin, let me tell you why I wrote this. When I was doing my Year 6 Exhibition, I was scouring through the RCHK Truth for any shark-related articles, but I found none. Not only that, but it is important everyone today knows that many sharks are critically and dramatically endangered, and they are worth protecting. So, for my Year 6 self, and all those endangered creatures in the world, I am writing the first Truth article about sharks.

1. COCONUT SIGHTED TODAY ENTER LAND AT YOUR OWN RISK

Which is more likely to kill you: being killed by a shark or a coconut? Believe it or not, the answer is coconuts. That's right, it is more likely for someone to be killed by a coconut than a shark. Coconuts actually kill humans 30 times more often than sharks.

2. DO THE MATH

In movies like Jaws, it is easy to see sharks as the monsters, but in reality, who is the monster? Humans, who kill 100 million sharks in a year, or sharks, who kill about 5-6 humans each year? Obviously, it’s humans, but not everyone knows this.

3. NO DENTIST!

Although sharks lose over 30,000 teeth in their lifetime, they don’t actually get cavities. Their teeth's surface is coated with fluoride, which is what most toothpastes contain. Lucky sharks - not needing to visit the dentist!

4. SIBILING RIVALRY

When a sand tiger shark gets pregnant, the two largest pups (yes, shark babies have the same name as baby dogs) will eat the others in the womb. This is to ensure that only the strongest sharks will survive.

5. SILENT SHARKS

You may not know this, but sharks do not have any vocal cords! This means that these cartilaginous fishes cannot make any noise or sounds. They are quieter than a mouse.

6. 500 ONLY?

While over two million species have been discovered to date, there are only about 500 shark species in the world. Seeing as sharks make up a small percentage but play a vital role in maintaining the health of the ocean, their extinction is a very bad idea.

7. SO STYLISH

Sharks actually have very creative bodies. For example, the commonly known hammerhead shark has a hammer-shaped head (obviously), while goblin sharks have a bright pink color. And that’s not even the weirdest; a rare mutation can cause a cyclops dusky shark to be born with only one eye!

8. TREES ARE SO YOUNG

Well, compared to sharks, at least. Sharks have been here for 400 million years, and that's 50 MILLION YEARS before trees. This makes trees younger than sharks!

9. SAVE THE SHARK - IT'S DROWNING

I’m not kidding—some sharks can drown. It might sound ridiculous, but it’s true. Most sharks breathe using buccal pumping, which involves inhaling water into their gills, but some sharks, like the Great White or whale sharks, don’t have buccal pumps. Instead, they have to use ram ventilation, which means they have to swim with their mouths open to get the water inside. If they don’t keep swimming, they won’t get oxygen.

10. SHARKS CAN WALK

If your fear of sharks keeps you out of the water, you might not be safe on land either. Sharks. Can. Walk. Epaulette sharks use their forefins to crawl on the beach when they look for crabs. But don’t fear, because they can only survive for about one hour on land

So, if you have read all the way down here, know this: sharks are wonderful and beautiful creatures. Although they look (and sometimes are) scary, just remember that coconuts are more lethal, and so are selfies (379 deaths from 2008-2011), trains (841 per year), toasters (700-800 per year), vending machines (13 per year), beds (479 per year), and the sun (60,000 per year)… Sharks are going extinct, and if we don't do anything, the sea won’t have those apex predators living in it anymore. Can you imagine an ocean without sharks? Because I know I can’t.