LIBRARY BLOG

Five Sharks You Might Not Know About

1. Basking Sharks

Basking sharks are known for their extremely large mouths that they keep wide open while swimming. They live worldwide in cold or warm temperatures, and usually spend their time near the surface. Second only to whale shark, they are the one of the largest fish in the world, reaching lengths of 40 feet or more and weighing up to 10,000 pounds. Their estimated life span is around 50 years. While they look very predatory, they are actually quite harmless and are filter feeders, feeding on tiny plankton. Little more is known about basking sharks because of their tendency to not stay in one place for more than a few months at a time. Unlike some other sharks that give birth to hundreds of small babies, basking sharks only give birth to a few very large babies. Scientists even believe that they may give birth to the largest babies of all fish.

One weird fact – Basking sharks have extremely huge livers that are 25% of their body weight.

2. Cookiecutter Sharks

Cookiecutter sharks get their name from their sharp and pointed teeth that they use to latch onto the skin of larger sharks, fish, and other sea creatures. Their strong lower teeth help them bite off chunks of meat of these creatures to eat, which is why they are considered parasites. Many large predators in the ocean have been observed with scars caused by cookiecutter sharks. The most interesting thing about them is that they don’t grow any larger than 18-20 inches. They can easily camouflage themselves in the dark, so they tend to feed near the surface at night and in much deeper water during the day to stay stealthy. Since they spend so much time in deep water, scientists don’t know very much about the exact locations that they live, but they have been observed in many different places all around the world.

One weird fact – Cookiecutter sharks purposely swallow teeth that they lose for extra nutrients.

3. Frilled Sharks

Frilled sharks are prehistoric-looking creatures that live in very deep waters all around the world, in tropical or cold temperatures. They get their name from the frilly look of their gills. While these sharks definitely have features that make them look like their relatives, they have a long, cylinder shaped body and distinct swimming style that make them seem more eel-like. They are predators that prefer to feed on squid, but they have been known to snack on many different kinds of fish and sometimes other sharks. No one has actually seen a frilled shark hunt, but it is believed that they lunge at their prey like a snake, based off the look of their jaw and posterior fins. Frilled sharks usually grow up to 7 feet long, but scientists have observed not very many because they are rarely encountered in the wild.

One weird fact – Frilled sharks possibly have the longest gestation period of any animal, 3.5 years.

4. Goblin Sharks

Goblin sharks are known for their extremely intimidating and terrifying appearance. They are very rare, grow to be around 12 feet long, and occupy warm or cold waters worldwide. They are also one of only a few species of shark that has teeth that are visible even when the mouth is fully closed. These deep-sea creatures are predators, and their identifying feature is their jaws that completely unhinge while feeding on prey. While hunting, they locate things around them by sensing electric fields with sensitive organs on their snouts, unhinge and extend their jaws far away from their mouths, and grasp their prey. Live goblin sharks have only been observed a few times and have almost never been captured on film, however scientists are not concerned that they are in danger of extinction.

One weird fact – Goblin sharks are named for their likeness to mythical goblins in Japanese folklore.

5. Pelagic Thresher Sharks

Pelagic thresher sharks are one of three types of thresher sharks, found in the open ocean. They are known for their extremely long tails, which can be several feet long. The average size of an adult is 10 feet long, with their tails being longer than the body. Thresher sharks are predators, and they whip their extremely long tails side to side to stun and sometimes even kill their prey. Their mouths are small compared to the rest of the body, so they usually stick to eating small fish and squids. Thresher sharks have only been observed and filmed in the wild a few times, due to them living across the open ocean. Scientists suspect that they are highly migratory, also contributing to why they have not been studied very much in their natural habitat.

One weird fact – Pelagic thresher sharks only ever give birth to two very large babies.