Sharks: In Dire Need of a New PR Firm

Did you know there are over 300 kinds of sharks? No? I didn’t either until I googled it, but the most exciting thing is that not all of them look like they are going to eat you for their afternoon snack! Take the lantern shark for example— it’s like a cute fish-version of a water-dwelling jack-o-lantern! This little luminous lover is the size of your palm and emits light from its belly to mimic the sun from the surface. Apparently, Tellytubbies are real, they just are very tiny and also live underwater.

Burning to know how scientists age sharks? Well, they actually count the rings on their vertebrae. So sharks are really just well-evolved trees. Wildly, each size and species of shark has its own class determination for correct aging. 

#watertrees

Certain bottom-dwelling sharks have an extra respiratory organ that helps them breathe while at rest on the seafloor. They can also use it while munching on some brunch. Must be high-class living if you can breathe and eat at the same time— think of how fast you could finish that bag of Cheetos.

Ever wanted to sense electromagnetic fields? I sure have and I’m hoping to be reincarnated as a shark because these slippery shadows can sense temperature shifts and electromagnetic fields with receptors around their nose, eyes, and mouth. 

So while shark attacks are far rarer than the media (insert jaws theme) has led us to believe. They are actually quite ruthless early on. They partake in intrauterine cannibalism and attack the other embryos. What on earth does that mean? They eat each other in the womb so that they can grow larger before they hatch. Anyway, despite that, sharks aren’t the boogie monster like many people believe, so send those funky fish some love.