There are over several hundred species of sharks that range in size from less than 10 inches to over 20-30 feet long. The largest fish and shark in the world is the whale shark, which is believed to be a length of 30 feet long. Sharks are often stereotyped as dangerous and violent, and while in some cases this is true, but in today’s world they are captured and killed annually for a demand in their fins which leads to overfishing and illegal fishing, depleting shark populations worldwide. 3.2% of shark species are listed on the endangered list. These fins are used to make fin soup. Once the fin i cut off sometimes the shark is kept and sometimes its body is thrown back into the ocean. When the body is thrown back into the ocean …show more content…
Sharks also migrate for many reasons and they can travel around the world in just a few months. While sharks are interesting they are also a very misunderstood animal.
Anatomy of the Shark Sharks have very interesting and complex bodies. Many believe that they are vertebrates but they are actually made up of cartilage. The term “cartilaginous fish” means that the structure of the animal’s body is formed of cartilage, instead of bone. Unlike the fins of bony fishes, the fins of cartilaginous fish cannot change shape or fold alongside their body. Even though sharks don't have a bony skeleton like many other fish, they are still categorized with other vertebrates in the Phylum Chordata. The reason you can find shark teeth so easily is because their teeth do not have roots so they fall out within a week. However, sharks have replacements arranged in rows and a new one can move in within one day to take the old one’s place. Sharks have 5 to 15 rows of teeth in each jaw, with most having five rows. These teeth can tear through bones and flesh very easily. Sharks do not have …show more content…
Using a tracker system, National Geographic tracked her from Africa to Australia and back—a total of 12,400 miles (more than 20,000 kilometers)—in nine months. The feat also set a second record: fastest return migration of any known marine animal. Sharks have nomadic behavior and there are 4 factors to why they migrate being temperature, seasonal changes, reproduction, and food sources. Sharks, like many other animals, migrate for purposes of mating and giving birth. These migrations are timed by seasons of the year, which cause water temperature changes that may trigger sharks to migrate to their breeding and pupping grounds. Another factor affecting the navigation and migration of the shark is the sensitivity to the temperature of the water. Most sharks are cold-blooded (their internal body temperature is the same as the outside water temperature) so they migrate to their preferred temperature. Most of these sharks will migrate to tropical waters for most of the year but some sharks such as the great white and the shortfin mako shark have a higher metabolic rate, which allows them to generate their own heat. These sharks have a wider range of movement, and are able to withstand lower water temperature ranges. Another purpose for migration is to follow a food source. This means shark will