The elusive Ganges shark is a freshwater riverine species thought to be endemic to India. Originally only known from three museum specimens collected in the 19th century, this rare creature is often confused with bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) – a marine species known to enter rivers and estuaries.
Ganges Shark. One of the rarest sharks in the world is the Ganges shark which is a critically endangered requiem shark.
The azure blue skin of blue sharks is widely regarded as the most attractive of all shark species. The blue shark, commonly known as the big blue shark, is a requiem shark found in deep seas throughout the world's tropical and temperate oceans.
Shorttail nurse shark
These are not the only sharks in danger of extinction. Whale sharks, basking sharks, Natal shysharks, great white sharks, porbeagle sharks, thresher sharks, great and scalloped hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, and oceanic whitetip sharks are also listed endangered or vulnerable.
The angel shark doesn't really look like a shark so much as a ray mixed with a flounder. They are fairly flat looking and have wide dorsal fins that run almost the entire length of their bodies. Angel sharks live all along the western coast of the Americas in as little as three feet of water.
1. Jaws: Great White Shark. Great white sharks are scary looking and the most aggressive sharks on Earth.
The megalodon, which went extinct millions of years ago, was the largest shark ever to prowl the oceans and one of the largest fish on record. The scientific name, Otodus megalodon, means "giant tooth," and for good reason: Its massive teeth are almost three times larger than the teeth of a modern great white shark.
Its a great mystery, Elizabeth Sibert, a paleobiologist and oceanographer at Yale University, told Science News. Sharks have been around for 400 million years. Theyve been through hell and back. And yet this event wiped out (up to) 90% of them.
Quick Answer: They are Fast, Smart, and Work as a Dolphin Team. Sharks and dolphins are two of the most formidable creatures in the ocean, but while sharks are often seen as fearsome predators, they are known to be intimidated by dolphins.
One of the most common and least dangerous sharks is the nurse shark. Nurse sharks are docile sharks and they grow to a maximum of 15ft long, compared to the equally-as-gentle whale shark (which can grow to around 62ft)!
Bamboo Shark
Like most harmless sharks, they are docile and non-aggressive. Bamboo sharks pose no threat to humans, and there have never been any reported cases of human attacks. They have been observed to let divers pet them without causing any harm.
Prehistoric frilled shark – a most bizarre-looking species of shark that has rarely been seen alive and is believed to be a deep ocean dweller.
The rainbow shark is a beautiful and rare fish that has an elongated body with a pointed snout. The coloration of the fins can range from dark blue or bright blue to red-orange, making this creature one you don't want to miss out on seeing in person!
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world. It is found in tropical and temperate oceans, in both deep water and coastal areas.
Sharks are older than trees and dinosaurs
The earliest evidence of shark fossils dates back as far as 450 million years, which means these creatures have been around at least 90 million years before trees and 190 million years before dinosaurs.
Around 100 million sharks are killed each year worldwide, according to a paper published in Marine Policy in 2013. In the study, researchers calculated that between 6.4 and 7.9 percent of all sharks are killed annually.
Cladoselache is regarded as the first "true shark". It lived 380 million years ago and it still retained a few characteristics of its fishy ancestors.
Frank Mundus' Great White Shark – 3,427 lbs.
In 1986, this was the largest fish ever caught by rod and reel. The record Captain Mundus was aiming to beat was held by Alf Dean who reeled in a 2,664-pound killer white shark in 1959. Killer sharks are thought to be the largest fish it's possible to catch on rod and reel.
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the biggest of all shark and fish species alive, growing up to 55 feet long. It populates the tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide.
Dolphins use their strong snouts as a powerful weapon to ram sharks, targeting their soft underbellies and gills to cause injuries. Sharks pose less of a threat to larger members of the dolphin family. Indeed, orcas are the top predator in the ocean and small sharks are a target for some populations.
The great white shark has killed the most humans resulting in 52 known fatalities, though roughly 300 unprovoked attacks are recorded from the great white.
How big is a megalodon? The earliest megalodon fossils (Otodus megalodon, previously known as Carcharodon or Carcharocles megalodon) date to 20 million years ago. For the next 13 million years the enormous shark dominated the oceans until becoming extinct just 3.6 million years ago.