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Thesis Statement:  (GREEN) have you been at the ocean
have you seen a shark? I am going to tell you about sharks. what sharks eat,where they live and when they are born.

Subtopic 1:(YELLOW)
First I am going to tell you  what sharks eat.

Evidence 1: (RED Sharks eat seals, fish, plankton, krill, mammals and even sharks.

Evidence 2: (RED) They eat whales killer whales.

Evidence 3: (RED) Sharks  even eat ells.

Subtopic 2: (YELLOW)Next I am going to tell you where sharks live they live in the ocean.

Evidence 1:  (RED) Some sharks live in reefs

Evidence 2:  (RED Sharks also live at the bottom of the ocean.

Evidence 3:  (RED)  Some live in seaweed.
Subtopic 3: (YELLOW) Finally I am going to tell you when Sharks are born.
Evidence 1:  (RED) First they start as a cocune.

Evidence 2:  (RED) Next they start to grow a head.

Evidence 3:  (RED)  Last they grow a body and tale and there is a shark.

Conclusion:  Now you know about sharks.

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Most species of shark eat things like fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals and other sharks

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Most species of shark eat things like fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals and other sharks

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Sharks never run out of teeth.

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The jaws of sharks are not attached to their skull, instead moving separately with independent upper and lower jaws.

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There are more than 465 known species of sharks living in our oceans today.

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Fins and Tails

The majority of sharks have 8 rigid fins:

A pair of pectoral fins that lift the shark as it swims

One or two dorsal fins that offer stability

A pair of pelvic fins that offer stability

An anal fin that again, offers stability

A caudal fin (tail) that propels the shark forward

The shark's tail provides it's forward motion, with speed and acceleration dependent on shape and size. Some tails boast large upper lobes for slow cruising with short and sudden bursts of speed, whereas others have larger lower lobes for continued pace.

Diet

Most shark species are carnivorous, and no, humans are not on the menu. The gentle giants such as the whale and basking shark feed on plankton, filtering the water and trapping small organisms with sieve like filaments.

The range of prey is extremely broad, from small bivalves and crustaceans, to seals, birds and even other sharks. Generally sharks eat live prey, but have been known to feed on large whale carcasses.

Habitat

Sharks exist in all seas, within a wide range of aquatic habitats and varying temperatures. They generally avoid fresh water, with the exception of the bull and river sharks that can swim between both sea and fresh water.

They are commonly found to a depth of 2,000 meters, with some existing even deeper. 'Pelagic' sharks such as the great white prefer large open waters, where as 'benthic' sharks such as the wobbegong are found skating along the ocean floor. Sharks are typically confined to their suited habitat for their entire lives, whereas some may migrate short distances or even entire oceans for the purpose of feeding or breeding.

Behaviour

Many people will already have their own idea of the typical behaviour of a shark - a solitary creature roaming the seas in search of prey, attacking ferociously and instilling fear into those who dare venture into the ocean. This is predominantly due to negative media and movie portrayal, and is far from the truth.

Only a handful of species are solitary hunters, such as the great white shark, but even these species often coexist at active hunting or breeding grounds. Most execute a range of social behaviour, hunting in packs or congregating in large numbers.

Sharks typical cruise at an average speed of 8km per hour, as they need to keep moving in order to breathe. However, some shark species have adapted to benthic living, resting on the sea bed and actively pumping water over their gills. While we don't know for sure, sharks never enter a true state of sleep. They do appear to have periods of inactivity, but their eyes remain open and even track the movements of their surroundings. However experiments have shown that some species are able to 'sleep swim', in which they are essentially unconscious while meandering around the ocean. This is possible due to the swimming being coordinated by their spinal cord as opposed to their brain.

Senses

It's often common knowledge that sharks are able to detect a drop of blood from miles and miles away, which is true to an extent. Their acute sense of smell is able to detect blood at one part per million, giving them the ability to determine the direction of a particular scent based on the time it takes to reach one nostril compared to the other. Unlike many mammals, the shark's nostrils are used purely for smell as opposed to breathing, and are located on the underside of their snout.

As well as their keen olfactory senses, sharks also have great eyesight. A mirror like layer in the back of the eye called the tapetum lucidum (the same found in cats), doubles the intensity of incoming light and allowing them to see exceptionally well in dim conditions. While sharks do have eyelids, they do not blink, instead relying on surrounding water to clean their eyes. Some sharks boast tough membranes that slides over and protects the eyes while hunting or being attacked. Species that do not have this membrane instead roll their eyes backwards when striking prey.

While not as visibly present, sharks do have ears which are located within a small opening on each side of their head. Because sound travels faster in water, sharks rely on it heavily to alert them to prey or danger, and can detect sounds from over 800 feet away.

Sharks can also detect electricity, something which all living things emit, albeit in small amounts. This is due to the electroreceptors located within their snout, numbering in the hundreds to thousands. Sharks rely on this sensory organ, called the ampullae of Lorenzini, to pick up on small electromagnetic fields emitted by their prey, even detecting tiny creatures hidden beneath the sand.

Reproduction

Most sharks live 20-30 years, maturing slowly and reaching a reproductive age anywhere from 12 to 15 years. While the majority of fish produce a large amount of small eggs, sharks are a k-selected species, which means they produce a small number of larger, more developed young. This results in a relatively high survival rate when compared to a large number of poorly developed young.

Mating between sharks is still rarely observed, especially between the larger species such as the great white.

Bite-sized Facts About Sharks

Shark Fact-file

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Shark Facts & Information for Kids - JellyQuest

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The majority of sharks have 8 rigid fins: A pair of pectoral fins that lift the shark as it swims One or two dorsal fins that offer stability A pair of pelvic fins that offer stability An anal fin that again, offers stability A caudal fin (tail) that propels the shark forward The shark's tail provides it's forward motion, with speed and acceleration dependent on shape and size.

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Fun shark facts for kids including photos and printable activity worksheets; suitable for Kindergarten through Grade 6.

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Baby Shark in a Swimming Pool (NOTE: the Dogfish Shark was NOT harmed)

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I'd like to add a little update to those of you who are infuriated from this video! My family and I were on vacation: my brother and sister kept catching Dogfish Sharks in the bay (not by choice) THIS SHARK, NOR WERE ANY OF THE OTHERS HARMED.

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why do sharks have so many teeth.

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why do sharks keep growing teeth.

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I picked sharks because they are fun to learn about them.

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Sharks are amazing ocean predators, and they're some of the most powerful creatures in the sea.

But 25% of shark species are currently listed as endangered, threatened or near threatened by extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Because sharks and rays are generally slow to reproduce, the constant onslaught of threats, including shark finning, fisheries bycatch and threats to the ocean ecosystem are causing severe declines in populations that are already hard to monitor.

While it is impossible to know how many individual animals are killed yearly due to illegal and unrecorded catch, it is estimated that up to 73 million sharks are killed annually by finning alone.

Defenders successfully advocated for six species of sharks to gain international collaboration for conservation at the Conference of the Parties to the Conference of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in Manila, Philippines - the whale shark, dusky shark, blue shark, angelshark, guitarfish and white spotted wedgefish.

In the U.S., Defenders and our conservation allies are pressuring the National Marine Fisheries Service to comply with its conservation and oversight obligations for oceanic whitetip sharks and giant manta rays mandated by the Endangered Species Act after the agency listed both species as threatened in 2018 in response to our listing petitions.

We also work to protect our national marine habitats by defending protections for national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments.

Sharks and rays are threatened by the demand for fins, overfishing, fisheries bycatch, habitat and prey loss, and human disturbance.

Only eat sustainable seafood, do not consume shark fin soup and make sure you know what species of fish you purchase. Choose responsible snorkel and dive operators and treat wild animals with respect. Speak up for habitat and wildlife protections.

The smallest ray is a short-nosed electric ray that is only 4 inches across, while the whale shark is the largest shark (and fish) at about 50 feet in length.

Though most sharks and rays live for a few decades, the Greenland shark is the longest-lived vertebrate with a lifespan of 400 years.

Sharks and rays have adapted to living in a wide range of aquatic habitats at various temperatures. While some species inhabit shallow, coastal regions, others live in deep waters, on the ocean floor and in the open ocean.

It is difficult to estimate population numbers since there are many different species whose habitats span large geographic areas.

Most sharks are especially active in the evening or at night. Some sharks migrate over great distances to feed and breed. This can take them over entire ocean basins. While some shark species are solitary, others display social behavior at various levels. Rays may school together or may live solitary lives except during mating season.

Some sharks and rays lay eggs, but many give birth to live young. Species that lay eggs lay a leathery egg case (you might find them on the beach and call them mermaid purses). Combined with the fact that many species only give birth to one or two pups at a time, sharks and rays have great difficulty recovering from population declines.

Diet varies between species with plankton, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals or other sharks on the menu.

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Sharks are amazing ocean predators, and they're some of the most powerful creatures in the sea. But 25% of shark species are currently listed as endangered, threatened or near threatened by extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.