God created the cosmic system in equality and order, and every creature created by God has a benefit, whether for humans or for the universe in general, as God created predators, pets, and all animals on planet Earth complementing each other in a harmonious food chain. Sharks are predatory marine creatures that live in oceans and large seas, and they are of great importance in the harmony of the ecosystem, as sharks feed on smaller fish, thus preventing the excessive reproduction of these species, which causes an imbalance in the marine ecosystem.
Sharks are among the most exciting creatures in the ocean due to their ferocity and attack on all marine creatures, and they are not peaceful. There are different types of sharks that differ in size and color, and they also have sharp and strong teeth and have an offensive force that is unmatched by any other marine animal. The shark also moves very quickly in the water, and in this comprehensive guide from teketrek، we will learn about everything related to sharks and their lifestyle.
Types of sharks and their locations
There are many types of sharks, each of which is different from the other, as the number of these types reaches about 400 species, we will mention some of them below:
- The whale shark is the largest type of shark and its size is close to the size of a whale, as it weighs approximately 34,000, and its length is 18 meters, and it feeds on small plankton and small plants through the filtration process.
- The bull shark prefers to live in shallow, warm waters close to the shore and is one of the most predatory species for humans, and is characterized by its gray color, weighing about 95 and its length is 3.5.
- The white shark is a predatory species and prefers to bite a person and then leave him, its length is 5 meters, and its weight is approximately 680 kilograms, and it prefers to examine the prey before eating it.
- The basking shark is the second largest species, its length is 12 meters, and its weight is 5200 kilograms, and it likes to climb to the top of the water to see the sun, and it lives in the ocean.
- The tiger shark, which is famous for the stripes on its body, likes to live in tropical and warm waters.
- The hammerhead shark has a hammer-like head and lives in tropical and temperate waters. It is gray or greenish in color.
- The mako shark weighs 140 kg and is 4 meters long. It lives in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is blue in color.
Physical and anatomical characteristics of the shark
The shark belongs to vertebrates. It is a cartilaginous bony fish. It breathes through gills and has strong fins. Its structure consists of cartilage. It is cold-blooded and has different shapes and types. It is a huge fish in size and length, reaching a length of about 15 meters and a weight of about 20 kg. It has many colors, the most famous of which is gray. There are also other colors such as blue, brown and yellow. It has a strong sense of smell.
It has seven gill openings on each side, and sharks are famous for having a strong jaw lined with many teeth of different sizes, which fall out and grow back, their teeth are sharp and strong, and they have a pointed nose, and they have a strong sense of sight that allows them to see in low light.
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Shark behavior and lifestyle
Sharks have a lifestyle and behavior similar to humans, as some of them are calm sharks and others are predatory and quarrelsome, and here are the most important behaviors that sharks perform as follows:
- The shark prefers to stay alone, as it is not a social creature, and does not like to share its prey with other fish.
- It has strong senses, as the shark listens to and recognizes low, distant sound frequencies, and it also has a sense of smell that allows it to smell blood from meters away, in addition to sharp vision even in low light.
- Sharks communicate with others in many ways, such as hitting the water forcefully when angry, or arching their body as a form of threat.
- All sharks pose a danger to humans and should be cautious and not trusted because they are predatory, aggressive and swim very quickly.
- Sharks feed according to their type, as there is a type that feeds on tuna, mackerel, and mollusks, and another that feeds on plankton such as whale sharks and basking sharks.
- They hunt their prey by directly attacking it and grabbing it with their strong teeth and throwing it right and left until it is torn apart and then devouring it.
The importance of sharks in the ecosystem
Sharks play a very important role in preserving the marine ecosystem. Despite being predatory and aggressive towards humans, they do not target humans as an enemy, but rather consider them marine prey in front of them. Sharks feed on many types of fish and marine mammals such as seals and others, thus preventing the presence of many of these fish in the sea, which may cause the extinction of many types of small fish. Therefore, sharks create a balance in the marine food chain, and they are interested in devouring sick, old and slow fish in groups, which makes other fish more alert and strong.
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Threats facing sharks
Man is the first enemy of nature. Modern times, because sharks face many threats and dangers that threaten their lives and all marine creatures. Here are the most prominent threats and dangers as follows:
- Overfishing, as studies have shown that approximately 100 million sharks are caught annually, which makes them threatened with extinction, as sharks require a lot of time to reproduce, give birth, and reach maturity.
- Overfishing poses a 67% risk to all types of sharks.
- Natural changes in climate, as the extreme rise in temperature leads to a change in the water temperature, which poses a risk to some types of sharks. The extreme cold also makes fish that live in warm waters flee from it and do not find another place to live, and then they die.
- The waste thrown into the ocean hinders the movement of fish and may cause them to be poisoned.
Strange facts about sharks
Sharks are mysterious creatures and behave in strange ways. There are many facts about them, which can be mentioned as follows:
- Sharks are ancient animals, as they have lived for 400 million years, and it was said that Older than dinosaurs.
- The shark embryo has sharp fish that make it devour the rest of the embryos.
- Scientists have proven that sharks never sleep from birth until death.
- Their body does not contain air sacs, so they are constantly moving until they breathe.
- Scientists have proven that they take their stomach out to clean it and then put it back inside, and this process takes only a few seconds.
- The shark senses electricity through its organs called the ampulla of Lorenzini.
In conclusion, we would like to say that sharks are strange in their kind and are important creatures for maintaining the marine ecological balance, so their lineage must be preserved from extinction by preventing overfishing and enacting harsh laws against those who do so. Waste and dead animals must not be thrown into the seas. In conclusion, we say that God created the universe and its path to serve man and made man master of all creatures, so all humans must appreciate God’s blessings and preserve them.
