10 Amazing Facts That Will Change How You View Sharks | Amazing Earth
Sharks have been feared, misunderstood and not liked by the majority of people. These 10 facts will try to change the way you think about sharks, and in at the same time you will know a little bit more about this stupendous creatures of the ocean.
If you enjoyed the video, please don’t forget to Like, Share and Subscribe for more! Many thanks for all of you who have supported the channel through all these months. I owe everything to you!
1. Sharks aren’t a major threat to humans! Many species of shark are bottom-feeders or use different methods of filter feeding for their needs. Besides, we’re not their natural prey. People die a lot more by falling coconuts than by sharks!
2. Some sharks can stop swimming! It has been believed that if a shark stopped swimming, it would stop breathing and die. However, some sharks use an ancient breathing method called, “buccal pumping” to prevent this. This method allows the shark to use its mouth to draw in water so that it can breathe even at rest!
3. Sharks aren’t the most dangerous predators in the ocean! Dolphins and sharks have been fighting for supremacy in the ocean. Although a regular dolphin is no match for a great white, there’s one specie that can confront them. Orcas or killer whales, hunt, kill and eat large sharks like mako and great whites!
4. Shark attacks are increasing, but are still overreacted! The probability of being attacked by a shark is still 1 in 11.5 million, worry about falling coconuts. In reality, there are more shark attacks simply because more people are going to the beach. Overall, shark attacks are actually decreasing on a percentage basis!
5. Sharks are a threatened species! In most parts of Asia, shark fin soup, extracted by shark finning, is very popular. Species of sharks are already facing extinction due to shark finning, which tastes of “nothing”. Those who farm for shark fins, capture the shark, cut the fin and toss the shark back to slowly die!
6. Stressed female sharks can reproduce without a male! Parthenogenesis is a special type of reproduction, where a baby animal hatches without any male DNA. This only occurs in extreme conditions, and can help maintain shark numbers if they decrease. The thing is that this type of reproduction reduces genetic diversity, which causes health problems!
7. Eating shark cartilage to cure cancer isn’t actually true! Research has shown that extracts from shark cartilage may be helpful in fighting tumors. But, there have been cases of sharks with malignant tumors, even in their cartilage. Eating shark cartilage would never work, because the delivery method isn’t effective at all!
8. Cage diving might affect the behavior of sharks towards humans! Currently, there are businesses throughout the world that offer cage diving to see sharks up close. Many people are concerned that this activity might make sharks more aggressive towards humans. Others are starting to bait sharks into waters that are closer to where humans live!
9. In the past, there were cultures that sacrificed people to the Shark Gods. In places like Hawaii and India, people revered sharks and offer human sacrifices for protection. Many of these Shark Gods had names, like the ancient shark god Kauhuhu. Surprisingly, these sacrifices were not forced, but instead people willingly accepted to do it!
10. You can render a shark completely helpless without tools! "Tonic immobility” is a mechanism which makes a shark unable to move for several minutes at a time. Orcas hunt shark by taking advantage of these mechanism to increase their chances of success. Tonic immobility is an evolutionary defense mechanism of the shark, just like playing dead!
For more information on sharks please visit:
Top 100 Shark Facts - [ Ссылка ]
Shark Facts - [ Ссылка ]
Shark Basic Facts - [ Ссылка ]
The Megalodon Shark - [ Ссылка ]
Jonathan Bird's Blue World: Bull Sharks - [ Ссылка ]
Naked Science - Shark Attacks - [ Ссылка ]
