Sharks are fish that date from more than 420 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs.
There are over 440 species of Shark and some like the whale shark, which can reach 39 feet, feed only on plankton and small squid.
Sharks were called “sea dogs” by sailors until the 16th century.
After Sir John Hawkins’ sailors exhibited a specimen in London in 1569, the word “shark” was used to refer to the large sharks of the Caribbean Sea, and later became a general term that we use today.
The name might also have come from the Yucatec Maya word for shark, xok.
It seems like sharks should be mammals, but they’re cold blooded fish, and have a cartilaginous skeleton which make them unique from regular bony fish.
Related Posts
-
How Do Fish Drink Water and How Do Whales and Other Marine Mammals Drink Sea Water?
Marine mammals depend primarily on the water content of the food they eat, rather than on drinking sea water. Whales, for example, eat mostly shrimp-like krill and fish. A high percentage of the…
-
How Do Large Marine Mammals Like Seals, Whales, and Manatees Sleep In the Water Without Drowning?
Some marine mammals sleep out of the water, and some may not sleep at all. The furred or hairy aquatic mammals in the pinniped suborder, seals, etc. have a variety of interesting adaptations…
-
Can Dolphins Talk?
Since ancient times, the dolphin has been considered a special animal. But it is only recently that research has discovered that the friendly, playful dolphin is highly intelligent. Some scientists consider the dolphin…
-
How Are Penguins Similar To Dolphins?
Penguins are similar to Dolphins when they are "porpoising." Most people are used to seeing dolphins perform wonderful leaps in and out of the water. They seem to be pretending that they are…
-
How do Animal Trainers at Aquariums Train Killer Whales to Jump out of Water onto Dry Land?
It isn't that hard to train animals and even killer whales. Animal trainers observe natural behaviors and reward those they seek to get the animal to perform again on cue. But when in…
-
What did hunting provide the Inuit besides meat and What else were Whales used for besides food?
Without many trees or plants in their homeland, the Inuit had to look to animals for most of the materials they needed to make the things they used day to day. To survive…
