Tiger Shark

Animal Unique | Tiger Shark | The tiger shark gets it's name from the black stripes it has when it is young. Most tiger sharks lose these stripes as they get older. The tiger shark is the fourth biggest shark in the world. The shark tiger is found in warmer and tropical waters in the Southern Hemisphere and  tends to be found in more coastal waters but tigers sharks are also known to go into the deeper ocean if they need to hunt for food. The tiger shark is a fierce predator and tiger sharks hunt everything in the water including fish, seals, birds, turtles and even other sharks.

The tiger shark also has a wedge-shaped head which allows the shark to turn quickly when it needs to. Tiger sharks can reach a top speed of around 20mph which is pretty fast in the water! Like most other species of shark, tiger sharks have sensors on the sides of their heads which enable them to detect small muscle movements from nearby creatures.  Tiger sharks are extremely aggressive animals are thought to be one of the most dangerous sharks for humans to come into contact with. 

Tiger sharks are solitary hunters and usually do most of their hunting at night when the tiger shark can move through the water unseen. Female tiger sharks mate every three years or so and the time of year when this happens depends on where the tiger shark lives. 

Tiger sharks in the Northern Hemisphere mate from March to May, where tiger sharks in the Southern Hemisphere mate from November to January. The eggs hatch inside the female tiger shark and can remain inside her for up to 16 months. When they are big enough, the female tiger shark gives birth to between 10 and 80 baby tiger sharks.

Tiger sharks usually range from between 3 to 5 metres in length. Although much larger specimens have been seen, the largest a tiger shark tends to get is around 5.5 metres long. 

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Whale Shark

Animal Unique | Whale Shark | The whale shark is thought to have developed around 60 million years ago making the whale shark one of the oldest species on Earth today. The whale shark is the largest species of fish with some adult whale sharks growing to nearly 50ft long. Unlike many other species of shark, the whale shark is known to feed on large shoals of tiny fish rather than hunting bigger fish and sea mammals. This makes the whale shark a filter feeder similar to whales and smaller sea animals.

The whale shark is the perfect example of a so-called friendly shark and to date have posed no significant threat to humans (mainly divers). The whale shark inhabits the warm, tropical waters around the equator and despite often being found close to coastlines, the whale shark is also known to dive to depths of up to 700 meters (that over 2,000ft deep). In this part of the ocean, food is more scarce and the whale shark will therefore only venture to such depths if hunting in the shallower waters is not possible. 

 

The whale shark is most commonly spotted around the Gulf of Mexico and the Indonesian Islands where the whale sharks have been known to be almost playful towards humans. Whale sharks tend to live for around 60 to 80 years but have been known be more than 100 years old. 

Female whale sharks incubate their eggs inside them rather than outside. This means that whale sharks effectively give birth to live young. Inside the female whale shark are hundreds of eggs but only a few actually turn into baby whale sharks. The remaining eggs are thought to be there so that when the whale shark pups hatch, they have something to eat. The female whale shark gives birth to an average litter of 12 whale shark pups that are around 60 cm long.

 

Whale sharks grow quickly during their first few years and soon the whale shark pups are extremely big and therefore less likely to be hunted by marine predators such as other shark species and killer whales. 

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Grey Reef Shark

Animal Unique | Grey Reef Shark | The Grey reef sharks are one of the smaller species of shark with adults reaching a maximum length of around 2m long. The grey reef shark is one of the most common species of shark found in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Grey reef sharks are generally found in the coastal regions and along continental shelves from the Middle East to the islands in the deep Pacific.

The grey reef shark tends to move about slowly gliding silently through the water at speeds that often do not exceed a few miles an hour and the grey reef sharks are commonly known to lay on the ocean floor for long periods of time. However, when the grey reef shark detects food in the water, the grey reef shark is known to suddenly become very active and quick, with the grey reef shark often becoming fairly aggressive if there is food about.

Grey reef sharks feed on reef fish, squid and shrimp. The grey reef shark is not thought to pose a great threat to humans and the grey reef shark has been noted to be inquisitive towards divers. Other species of reef shark include the white tipped reef shark, the black tipped reef shark and the Caribbean reef shark, all of which belong to the same family so have similar characteristics to the grey reef shark.

The grey reef shark has a very distinctive shark-like appearance which includes the long slender body of the grey reef shark, large fins and a rounded snout. The grey reef shark tends to gather together in schools with other grey reef sharks during the day, but the grey reef shark is generally more active at night. The grey reef shark has very few natural predators in its coastal, underwater habitat as many larger water-bound carnivores tend to lurk in the deeper waters. 

When the grey reef shark feels under threat, particularly from larger species of shark or from humans diving, the grey reef shark tends to react in a very distinctive way with the grey reef shark arching its body up and moving its head slowly from side to side whilst the grey reef shark is swimming along. The grey reef shark is thought to do this to intimidate unwanted company rather than in preparation to attack it.

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Animal Unique

Hammerhead Shark

Animal Unique | Hammerhead Shark | Hammerhead sharks are large carnivorous fish that prey on large fish and occasionally hammerhead sharks will hunt small water mammals.  Hammerhead sharks are found in the warmer waters of oceans worldwide but hammerhead sharks are particularly found in coastal waters, and along continental shelves. Hammerhead Sharks are appropriately named after their flat shaped heads.

Hammerhead sharks are not commonly known to attack humans but can be aggressive if a human came into contact with a hammerhead shark. The flat shaped head of the hammerhead shark is thought to allow the hammerhead shark to detect prey more easily, as it increases the hammerhead sharks sensitivity to sonar activity. Hammerhead sharks are thought to use sonar waves detection in a similar way to their five main senses, so its like the hammerhead shark has a sixth sense.

 

The shape of the head of the hammerhead shark is made up of two projections on either side of the face of the hammerhead shark, which gives the hammerhead shark the head shape that resembles a hammer almost rectangular in shape. The eyes and nostrils of the hammerhead shark are found at the ends of the hammer allowing the hammerhead shark to have better vision and smell of the surrounding water. 

 

 Like many other species of shark the hammerhead shark is a solitary hunter during the night, but during the daytime hammerhead sharks are known to form schools of up to 100 hammerhead shark individuals. Hammerhead sharks are commonly seen in larger groups during the summer months when the hammerhead sharks are migrating together in search of cooler waters.

 

The great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark and one of the few species of hammerhead shark that is potentially dangerous to humans. This is due to the sheer size of the giant hammerhead shark and also because the giant hammerhead is known to have an aggressive temperament. Other species of hammerhead shark tend to pose little or no threat to humans as these species of hammerhead shark are generally much smaller than the giant hammerhead shark and are slightly calmer in their nature.

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Animal Unique

Zebra Shark

Animal Unique | Zebra Shark | The zebra shark is  found in the warmer coastal waters and around tropical coral reefs, that is a medium-sized species of shark. Zebra sharks can grow to nearly 3 meters in length and can get to be 30 years old in the wild. Zebra sharks that are kept in captivity generally do not exceed 15 years of age. Zebra sharks can be identified by the yellow spots that are present on the back of the zebra shark.

Zebra sharks have a long, flattened body which helps them to remain unnoticed on the seabed. The zebra shark also has a long tail which allows it to be more agile in the water. Zebra sharks move their tails from side to side when they swim, in an eel-like manner. Zebra sharks are omnivorous animals but tend to have a more meat-based diet. Zebra sharks feed on small fish, crabs, shrimp, snails and other small invertebrates along with squid and sea snakes which they forage for in the coral reefs.

Due to their relatively large size, zebra sharks have few natural predators as they are fairly dominant predators in their environment. Larger species of shark such as tiger sharks and bull sharks are the main predators of the zebra shark, along with humans who hunt them for their meat and fins. 

 

The female zebra shark lays an average of ten large eggs which hatch after an incubation period of around 5 months. The baby zebra sharks are nearly half a meter long when they first hatch.

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Sand Tiger Shark

 

Animal Unique | Sand Tiger Shark | Sand tiger shark is the most commonly reported along the Atlantic beaches. The Sand tiger shark, Gray nurse shark, Spotted ragged tooth shark, or Slue-nurse sand tiger is a species that inhabits coastal waters worldwide. It lives near the shores and beaches of North America, hence the name Sand tiger shark. It also lives in the waters of Japan, Australia and South Africa. Usually accidentally caught by fishing other fish wheels surf, sand tigers are slow and offer little resistance when hooked. In the western Atlantic Ocean, resulting from the Gulf of Maine to Argentina.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Lamniformes
Family:     Odontaspididae
Genus:     Carcharias
Species:     C. taurus

These sharks have a cat-like eyes and a mouth full of wicked-looking teeth. They are light gray in color, white on their belly, and the youth have some spots on their sides, which gradually disappear as they mature. They have a pointed, slightly upturned snout and rows of teeth that are fully shed over a period of 2 weeks. The fins are large and fleshy and provide hydrodynamic lift. The first dorsal fin is situated rather far back, and is close to the second dorsal fin, which is almost as big as the first. The tail is long and curved with a hook at the end. The Sand tiger shark can reach a length of more than ten meters. In one part of the world they are considered harmless, while in others they are considered very dangerous.

 

The Sand tiger shark is an active night feeder. It is the only known shark breath and save the shark's stomach, causing the shark to near neutral buoyancy, which helps to motionless and silent, so no hunting for its prey to keep alert. The sand tiger shark was seen in the hunting groups to gather with other sand tiger sharks when preying on large schools of fish. The sand tiger shark gathers in large numbers when hunting prey or during mating. The diet of the Sand tiger shark often consists of fish, young sharks, rays, crustaceans, and bluefin tuna caught in nets. However, the Sand tiger shark prefers bony fish such as eel, mullet, and sea bass.

Males reach sexual maturity at about six to seven years old and about 1.8 meters in length. Females reach maturity when about 2 feet long at about nine to ten years. During mating, the male grasps the female sand tiger fins with his teeth. This can leave deep cuts that usually heal within one week. The male shark claspers used to inseminate the female. The Sand tiger shark is one of the lowest reproduction rates of all types of sharks, so they are easily influenced by public pressure. Female sharks have two wombs. During early embryonic stages of the young absorb nutrients from a yolk sac and uterine fluids possibly consume. At about 10 inches long, the developing embryos in the wombs of mother slain and devoured by two puppies left, a process called intrauterine cannibalism. The surviving embryos continue to feed a constant supply of yolk capsules which contain 7-23 unfertilized eggs. After a long labor, the female gives birth to 1 meter long, completely independent offspring. The gestation period is about eight to nine months.

There are several factors that contribute to the decline in the population of the Sand tiger sharks. Sand tiger sharks are caught with trawl fishing, although they are often caught with a fishing line. Sand tigers' fins are a popular item in Japan market. Shark liver oil is a popular product in beauty products like lipstick. For example, overfishing is a major contribution to the population decline. In northern Australia, have taken nets to protect swimmers sharks. Many sand tigers are caught in the nets, and then strangled or fishermen. Estuaries along the United States of America the eastern Atlantic coast where most of the young Sand tiger sharks. These estuaries are subject to diffuse pollution that is harmful to the puppies.

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Animal Unique

Thresher Shark

Animal Unique | Thresher Shark |  The thresher shark is characterized by its large upper caudal fin. In Canadian waters sizes have ranged from 3.3 to 5.5 meters (10.8 to 18 feet) long. Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae . Indeed the long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is named the fox shark by some authorities.

The thresher shark is characterized by its large upper caudal fin. This tail fin may often be 50 percent of the total length of the shark. It has a short snout and large eyes placed forward on the head. The second dorsal fin is much smaller than the first. The thresher is a strong swimmer and can leap clear of the water. The jaws are small with small, curved sharp teeth without basal cusps or serrations. Colour varies from brown to black with metallic hues from above and irregular white markings on the underside. In Canadian waters sizes have ranged from 3.3 to 5.5 meters (10.8 to 18 feet) long. The maximum size recorded for this species is 6.1 meters (20 feet), however they generally are between 2 to 5 meters (10 to 16.5 feet) in length. Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae. Found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world, the family contains three species all within the genus. The genus and family name derive from the Greek word alopex, meaning fox. Indeed the long-tailed thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus, is named the fox shark by some authorities. The common name is derived from a distinctive thresher-like tail or caudal fin which can be as long as the body of the shark itself.

Distinguishing Characteristics

    Extremely large caudal fin that may be up to 50 percent of the body length
    Relatively large eyes
    Relatively small teeth and jaw

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:         Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:         Lamniformes
Family:         Alopiidae Bonaparte, 1838
Genus:         Alopias

Thresher Shark Diet
The thresher shark eats schooling fish, such as herring and mackerel and cephalopods such as squid. The large caudal fin is used to slap the surface of the water forcing fish to form tighter schools; the tail can then be used as a whip to stun or kill the prey.

Thresher Shark Reproduction
This shark is ovoviviparous, with the eggs being hatched inside the female, and 2 to 6 live pups being delivered at a size of 1.5 meters (5 feet) long. During development the young may cannibalize their siblings within the uterine chamber.

Thresher Shark Habitat
The thresher often swims at the surface of coastal waters. However it can also occur at depths of 350 meters (1,150 feet) or more. The young may be found inshore in shallow water.

Thresher Shark Range
The thresher shark is a summer visitor to the Canadian Atlantic region. They have been captured from July to November, but most frequently during August and September. The thresher ranges through all warm and temperate areas of the worlds oceans. Its northernmost range in the western Atlantic is eastern Newfoundland and it ranges all the way down the Atlantic to the West Indies and northern South America.

There are three extant thresher shark species, all in the genus Alopias. The possible existence of a hitherto unrecognized fourth species was revealed during the course of a 1995 allozyme analysis by Blaise Eitner. This species is apparently found in the eastern Pacific off Baja California, and has before been misidentified as the bigeye thresher. Thus far, it is only known from muscle samples and no aspect of its morphology has been documented

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Animal Unique

Blue Shark

 

Animal Unique | Blue Shark | The Blue shark is a kind of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, which inhabits deep waters in temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Blue sharks are pelagic. It means they are found in open water. Like most pelagic sharks, they found the whole world. Blue sharks migrate east across the Atlantic each year, following the warm Gulf Stream waters. They travel a circuit of the Caribbean Sea, along the coast of the U.S., eastern Europe, south of the African coast and back to the Caribbean.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Carcharhiniformes
Family:     Carcharhinidae
Genus:     Prionace
Cantor, 1849
Species:     P. glauca

The Blue shark is one of the most easily recognized sharks. It has a unique color, a deep indigo blue top and a vibrant blue on the sides to white underneath. The large pectoral fins are also easy to spot as they are, as long as the distance between the tip of the snout to the last gill slit. The Blue shark is a long slender shark, reaching 3.8 meters (13 feet) in length. It is probably the most productive of the large shark species as it is abundant throughout the range. The Blue shark has a weak keel on the tail and the upper lobe of the caudal fin is larger than the bottom. The teeth on both upper and lower jaw have triangular cusps with smooth or finely toothed edges.

Squid is an important prey for Blue sharks, but their diet also other invertebrates such as squids and octopuses pelagic as well as lobster, shrimp, crab, many bony fishes, small sharks, mammalian carrion and occasional sea birds. Whale and porpoise blubber and meat are taken from the stomachs of fish caught and they are known for taking cod from trawl nets. Blue sharks seldom eat tuna. Young and small individuals can get eaten by a sufficiently large sharks, such as the Great White Shark and Tiger Shark.

Blue sharks are the most heavily fished sharks mainly as by catch. It is estimated that 10 to 20 million people are slain every year due to fishing. The flesh is edible, but not widely sought, it is consumed fresh, dried, smoked and salted and diverted for fish meal. The skin used for leather, fins for shark fin soup and liver oil. Blue sharks are occasionally sought as game fish for their beauty and speed.

Although Blue sharks are among the most common, widespread, fertility and rapid growth of the sharks, they are one of the most heavily fished sharks in the world. There is concern not only about what this does for Blue shark populations, but also about the effect of removing such an important predator might have on the oceanic ecosystem Blue sharks are one of the most important species in international trade shark. However, their flesh, and eaten in a few countries, is not very popular. They are also an important fish species in some areas.

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Animal Unique

Sandbar Shark

 

Animal Unique | Sandbar Shark | The Sandbar shark is a kind of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae. The Sandbar shark is also called Thick skin shark or Brown shark. It is one of the largest coastal sharks in the world, and is closely related to the Dusky shark, Bignose shark and ull shark. It is very common along the coast of the Mid-Atlantic states, sand banks to expand into the western Atlantic from southern Massachusetts to southern Brazil. In the eastern Pacific, which occur around the Hawaiian, Galapagos, and Revillagigedo Islands. The Sandbar shark, true to its nickname, is often found on muddy or sandy bottoms in shallow coastal waters such as bays, estuaries, harbors, or the mouths of the rivers, but also swim in deeper waters.

 

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Carcharhiniformes
Genus:     Carcharhinus
Species:     C. plumbeus

Sandbar sharks are stout shark with a moderately long, rounded snout, and a high, triangular, saw tooth edges above. This species has a interdorsal cam and a strikingly large first dorsal fin. Sandbar sharks are blue-gray or brown to bronze in color on the back and flanks and white on the belly. The tips and outer margins of their fins are sometimes darker than the rest of their bodies. Sandbar sharks usually have heavy-set bodies and rounded snout that are shorter than the average shark's snout. Their upper teeth have broadly uneven cusps with sharp edges. The second dorsal and anal fins are near the same height. His body color can vary from a bluish to brownish gray with a bronze, with a white or pale underside. Sandbar sharks swim alone or in sex-segregated schools that vary in size.

Sandbar sharks are opportunistic feeders that prey on bottom bony fishes, small sharks, rays, cephalopods, gastropods, crabs and shrimp. Sandbar sharkss feed during the day, but more and more active at night. Natural enemies are the tiger sharks and great whites rarely. Sandbar shark and Dusky sharks are coastal migrants who have taken a particularly hard hit by longline fishing for both their meat and their fins. Sandbar sharks are generally called brown by fishermen along the East Coast of the United States, where they often migrate in large bays to spawn. Although in principle the ground sharks, they are extremely strong fighters. The twilight is almost indistinguishable from the Sandbar shark, but grows to more than 700 pounds, the sandbar never exceeded more than 200 pounds.

Sandbar sharks are viviparous. The embryos are supported in the yolk sac placenta in the mother. The female has a three year reproductive cycle and give birth to an average of 8 puppies. They carry the young for one year before birth. In the northern hemisphere, mating takes place in spring or early summer (May-June). Sandbar sharks in the Southern Hemisphere partner during the warmer summer months between late October to January. The mating begins when a man follows a woman, occasionally biting them between the dorsal fins until they give him access to a branch to insert into the cloaca. As with other shark species, women are often seen with permanent scars as a result of this mating ritual.

Sandbar sharks are considered harmless to humans. There are very few cases of sandbar sharks make unprovoked attacks on humans. You should always use caution to protect yourself against sharks and other marine creatures when swimming or wading. This species has slowly grown and has a low reproduction and is therefore particularly vulnerable to threats such as commercial hunting and the subsequent overfishing. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most important Sandbar shark nursery areas on the east coast.

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Animal Unique

Porbeagle Shark

 

Animal Unique | Porbeagle Shark | The Porbeagle shark is a member of the mackerel shark family, like the great white shark and the Mako, and bears a resemblance to both types. A widespread species, it exists in the western Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to New Jersey, although it rarely ventures south of New England and probably ranges from southern Brazil to Argentina. The Porbeagle shark is one of the most cold tolerant species of pelagic sharks in the world, prefer water temperatures below 18 C. The porbeagle is a counter flow heat exchanger in the bloodstream, which makes it possible to maintain a body temperature 7-10 degrees higher than the ambient temperature of the water.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Chondrichthyes
Subclass:     Elasmobranchii
Order:     Lamniformes
Family:     Lamnidae
Genus:     Lamna
Species:     L. nasus

The Porbeagle shark is a robust, cobalt blue body with a perfect conical snout, ending in a point. It is easily recognized by its teeth, which are smooth and have little bumps on both sides of the base. It often has a distinctive white area at the foot of the first dorsal fin is this more apparent than on the mako and white sharks. There is a huge, especially prominent, flattened keel on both sides of the tail, and below, but further back on the tail is a small secondary keel, which also lack Mako sharks and white. The anal fin is directly in line with the second dorsal fin.

Fast and energetic, the Porbeagle shark are found singly or in groups. Porbeagle shark swallows its prey whole and feeds on a diverse group of fishes and invertebrates. They eat mackerel, herring and squid in winter, cod, flounder and other bottom fish in the fall as less common prey, such as wolf-like, spiny dogfish, small crabs and shellfish. Bits of fishing line, rope, shiny packaging and plastic packaging are all found in their stomach contents as well. 

Porbeagle sharks are potentially dangerous to humans because of their large size. But the Porbeagle shark is very seldom attacked swimmers or boats. None has ever accused porbeagle in unprovoked attacks on humans, probably because they live in such cold water, but as a member of the Mako and Great White sharks is one of the fastest swimmers in the sea. It belongs to the top of the food chain and is the top predator in its own territory.

The meat of Porbeagle shark is of good quality and texture and is said to taste like swordfish. Excellent sportfish, Porbeagle sharks occur in colder waters than Makos and whites, which may explain why they are not involved in attacks on humans. The Porbeagle shark is one of the fastest swimmers in the sea, but it can not swim out of the commercial fishermen on the North Atlantic come from around the world in search of her highly acclaimed flesh. The shark population is almost the lowest ever, but things are looking for this endangered species. But now, since the large cuts in fishing quotas for porbeagle shark in recent years, it is slowly recovering.

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