Most members of the Shark family are predatory, though some are more ferocious than others. Ironically, the largest of the shark species, the whale shark and basking shark, are virtually harmless plankton eaters. Sharks have an extraordinary sense of smell when it comes to hunting prey, and have been known to be able to sense visually undetectable amounts of animal blood dispersed into the water from long distances. And though sharks kill only a few people each year, media coverage and movie portrayals of attacks have marked sharks as voracious killing machines. Even though that is far from the truth, our fears and hunting habits of these wonderful fish threaten to purge these vital predators from the oceans.
Plants & Animals
JUN 27, 2014
Shark Week 2014
Most members of the Shark family are predatory, though some are more ferocious than others. Ironically, the largest of the shark species, the whale shark and basking shark, are virtually harmless plankton eaters. Sharks have an extraordinary sense of smell when it comes to hunting prey, and have been known to be able to sense visually undetectable amounts of animal blood dispersed into the water from long distances. And though sharks kill only a few people each year, media coverage and movie portrayals of attacks have marked sharks as voracious killing machines. Even though that is far from the truth, our fears and hunting habits of these wonderful fish threaten to purge these vital predators from the oceans.