Sharks are amazing creatures. Some are cute, some are funny some are terrifying! What do they all have in common, they’re fascinating creatures that should be preserved and left alone as much as possible. We recently released The Rainbow Shark, so to celebrate, we’ve gathered some facts about these wonderful creatures.
Sharks are elasmobranchs or cartilaginous- meaning they do not have any bones, instead they have cartilage – this also helps them to stay buoyant as cartilage is lightweight. They also have eyelids and incredibly thick skin.
Sharks have been around for a long time, almost 450 million years in fact, in all of the oceans around the world. This means they have been around for 200 million years longer than dinosaurs! And they really haven’t changed too much either…
Sharks have around 40 to 45 teeth to about seven rows. This is because sharks regularly loose teeth with biting, banging into things and general shark antics. They can go through several thousand teeth in their lives. Having many rows is not only a good backup, teeth anchor down on bones and as sharks have no bones, but they are also even more at risk to get loose and fall out.
Humans kill 100 million sharks a year. That means for every single person killed by a shark, humans kill 25 million sharks. Shark attacks are extremely rare and account for four fatalities every single year worldwide.
Sharks are given a bad rep. Many are terrified of sharks, and when you see a great white shark, you can understand why. That being said, shark attacks are incredibly rare. There are only roughly 4 deaths a year, worldwide to shark attacks. Humans, however, kill 100 million sharks every year. So, when you work it out like that, for every human death to a shark, we kill 25 million of their species. Now who are the scary ones…
The biggest shark we know of to live was the humongous Megalodon, it’s reported that it was fifty feet, its name quite literally translates to big tooth. They are closely related to our very own Great White Shark - the largest of all carnivorous sharks. Many scientists say it even looked like a bigger stockier version of this shark, while some say it looked more similar to a basking shark. They’re dead now – don’t listen to all the conspiracy theories online.
Speaking of sharks that are still living. The Whale Shark is our biggest. It can grow to 41.5 feet in length, only 8.5 feet less than the great Megalodon, and it’s not a killer. Whale sharks feed on plankton, krill, fish eggs - being a filter feeder. They pose no threat to humans at all. The smallest of the sharks is the 6-inch-long, dwarf lantern. Cutie.
We recently release The Rainbow Shark by Stephanie Kenny, A story of a lonely shark who wants nothing more than a friend but his gigantic appetite scares everybody away. With the help of two strangers, can he find bravery and kindness, and overcome his shyness? Searching for colours and wishes in a vibrant rhyming tale of wonder, Ted, the shark, realises his true nature is to be who he is in a spectacularly colourful way. A beautifully illustrated journey through the sea. Join Ted on a magical undersea adventure as he discovers friendship is for everyone.
Get yourself your own copy, here: https://olympiapublishers.com/books/the-rainbow-shark
