Sharks are terrifying, large creatures, and they are also magnificent. There are so many different species of shark, and we are willing to bet that you are able to name a handful of them yourself.
In this article, we will look at the 9 best-known, most iconic shark species in the world.
So, let’s get into it.
1. The Mako Shark
These sharks can get extremely violent, and belong to the same family as great white sharks.
The length of the Shortfin and Longfin variants of Mako sharks ranges from roughly 2.7 to 4.5 meters.
2. The Nurse Shark
In quest of food, nurse sharks can be seen skating around the ocean floor, on sand flats, or on a reef in shallow, temperate waters.
Nurse sharks weigh about 150 kilos on average, and have been known to grow to a length of roughly 4.3 meters.
3. The Whale Shark
The largest fish now swimming around is this shark that averages an amazing 12.5 metres. These sharks avoid shallower coastal areas in favour of living in the wide ocean and waters with higher temperatures.
Fortunately, because they mainly consume plankton and microscopic fish through a filter system, these gigantic specimens are reasonably harmless for humans.
4. The Tiger Shark
The Tiger Shark stands apart from its contemporaries since it is known for devouring a variety of creatures, including non-living, inanimate items.
The Tiger Shark is one of the most deadly to people, and has been involved in multiple attacks due of its lack of ability to discriminate between different types of food and its propensity for coastal waters.
They can grow to a maximum height of 4.5 meters, and typically are known to favor warm, tropical waters over frigid ones.
5. The Bull Shark
The Bull Shark, commonly referred to as the Zambezi Shark, is infamous for being erratic and hostile towards all forms of life.
It is seen as the greatest threat to people from shark attacks, and is to blame for many of the bites and deaths that are reported each and every year.
The Bull Shark can survive in both fresh and saltwater habitats and is typically found in warm, shallow seas. As a result of their ability to penetrate lakes and rivers as well, these sharks can travel quite far, making them more of a threat.
6. The Ragged Tooth Shark
There are numerous names for the ragged-tooth shark, including the Grey Nurse Shark in Australia and the Sand Tiger Shark in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Ragged Tooth Shark favors the seas off of coasts. Despite its enormous and intimidating moniker, this shark is actually rather calm and only attacks when disturbed or challenged.
7. The Blue Shark
The Blue Shark is renowned for its migratory habits and likes the deep, colder waters of tropical and temperate oceans. Blue sharks move somewhat slowly, yet they are able to move more quickly when necessary.
These sharks are capable of having relatively large litters at once, ranging from 25 to 100 pups.
8. The Hammerhead Shark
All around the world, shallow waters are home to hammerhead sharks, which can grow from 0.9 to 6 meters in length on average.
Due to the obvious flattened protrusions on either side of their heads, which give the entire thing a flattened, hammer-like appearance, hammerheads got their name.
9. The Great White Shark
Lastly, we have, arguably, the most well-known shark of all time. The Great White is a large shark that is notorious for attacking people who are surfing or swimming in the water.
The Great White Shark is widespread throughout the oceans of the world, growing to an astounding length of four to six meters and weighing more than 2200 kg on average.
Final Thoughts
So, there we have it; those were 9 of the best-known sharks in the world. How many did you know the name of? We hope you learned something from this article, or we, at least, refreshed your memory of these magnificent creatures.
Thank you for reading this article.
The beauty of sharks up close and personal is too precious to put into words - there’s nothing like it that I’ve ever experienced. Not only that, but to be in close proximity to one of the ocean’s most ferocious predators is such a thrill!
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