1. Up to 25% of a Goblin Shark's weight can be it's liver alone!
2. Mako Sharks are the fastest sharks in the world.
3. That ratio of humans being attacked by sharks versus humans killing sharks is 10 (humans)/20 million (sharks).
4. Blue Sharks have earned themselves the nicknames of "wolves in the sea."
5. Swimmers who are more submerged into the water are less likely to be bitten by a Blacktip Reef Shark than waders.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Marine Life Update!
The other night after checking my email, I was reading a news story on dolphins. Yes, this blog is about sharks, but that's because they're my favorite of the marine life. It doesn't mean that I don't care about other marine life. Anyway, I was reading this news story and it made me really sad. The story was about a huge die-off of dolphins in the recent years. I read that so far this year 3,000 dolphins have been found washed up on the beaches of Peru. :( This is very sad news to me. In this article they were saying that biologists and other scientists are unsure as to why there is a die-off and what is causing it. The die-off last year in the Gulf of Mexico was caused by an oil spill, but why it has continued and spread is what they are set out to find. As i was reading this, I thought about how different people would respond. I would guess most people are "too busy" to care. Well, not me. I hope that reading this will make you realize that we are the reason... Pollution we cause is the reason... But we can also be the change. Less pollution of our world means better life for everyone and everything!
Thanks for reading! I'm sorry I haven't posted anything recently. But I promise I'm back and so is the blog!
Thanks for reading! I'm sorry I haven't posted anything recently. But I promise I'm back and so is the blog!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
NEW LOGO!!!
Hey everyone, I've created a logo and I want to know what you think. Leave comments to tell me.
I hope you like it!
I hope you like it!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Blue Sharks
Name: Blue Shark
Scientific Name: Prionace glauca
Length: Around 12.5 feet
Weight: Close to 450 pounds
The Blue Shark often travels in schools. These schools are segregated by size and gender. This behavior of traveling in schools like this has given them the nickname of "Wolves of the sea."
These sharks have between 4 and 135 shark pups per litter. The females are pregnant for between 9 and 12 months. The females reach their full maturity at 5 or 6 years old, but the males reach their maturity at 4 or 5. Some types female sharks mature before the males.
Blue Sharks get their names because they're actually dark blue on the top and paler blue on the sides. Their bellies are white. These sharks have longer more pointy faces than most other sharks. They reach about 450 pounds and 12.5 feet.
These sharks are rarely preyed on by other marine life. They're mainly preyed on by humans. They're near threatened on the conservation status. The reason they're coming close is because of humans. They capture them, cut off all their fins (while they're alive), and toss them back in the ocean. We need to put this to a stop. These sharks are the most often to be fished for. Between 10 and 20 million of this species are captured and killed per year by humans.
These sharks, like the other types of Pelagic Sharks, do not fare well in captivity. This is because their glides paths are so long. Even with a rounded tank and longer glide paths, it doesn't seem to help. They occasionally run into the glass walls or other obstacles in the tanks. At Sea World's San Diego park, these sharks were put in a tank and they did pretty well... Until another shark, the Bull Shark, was added to the mix. The Bull Sharks ended up eating all the Blue Sharks, but that's just part of a Bull's nature.
This is my post on the Blue Sharks. Thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far. :)
Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org/wiki/blue_shark
Scientific Name: Prionace glauca
Length: Around 12.5 feet
Weight: Close to 450 pounds
These sharks have between 4 and 135 shark pups per litter. The females are pregnant for between 9 and 12 months. The females reach their full maturity at 5 or 6 years old, but the males reach their maturity at 4 or 5. Some types female sharks mature before the males.
Blue Sharks get their names because they're actually dark blue on the top and paler blue on the sides. Their bellies are white. These sharks have longer more pointy faces than most other sharks. They reach about 450 pounds and 12.5 feet.
These sharks are rarely preyed on by other marine life. They're mainly preyed on by humans. They're near threatened on the conservation status. The reason they're coming close is because of humans. They capture them, cut off all their fins (while they're alive), and toss them back in the ocean. We need to put this to a stop. These sharks are the most often to be fished for. Between 10 and 20 million of this species are captured and killed per year by humans.
These sharks, like the other types of Pelagic Sharks, do not fare well in captivity. This is because their glides paths are so long. Even with a rounded tank and longer glide paths, it doesn't seem to help. They occasionally run into the glass walls or other obstacles in the tanks. At Sea World's San Diego park, these sharks were put in a tank and they did pretty well... Until another shark, the Bull Shark, was added to the mix. The Bull Sharks ended up eating all the Blue Sharks, but that's just part of a Bull's nature.
This is my post on the Blue Sharks. Thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far. :)
Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org/wiki/blue_shark
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Goblin Sharks
Name: Goblin Shark
Scientific Name: Mitsukurina owstoni
Length: Near 11 feet
Weight: Close to 350 pounds
The Goblin Shark is a very unusual shark. As you can see in the picture (above), they have a very long nose and their mouth partially curves in at the center. Although the picture shows the mouth slightly curve in the center, most come to a point. What you can't see in the picture, however, is how it catches its prey. You'd think that their noses would cause them to have a disadvantage while hunting. This maybe partially true, but their jaws actually protrude from their mouths. They have very long gums allowing them to sue their mouths in this way.
This shark lives in some of the deepest waters. They can actually submerge to depths below 600 feet. These sharks are deep-sea sharks. The deepest this shark has been caught was at 4,265 feet below the surface.
The Goblin Shark was first discovered in Japan. It was found near Tosa Bay and Toso Peninsula.
Can you imagine diving and coming face to face with this shark without knowing anything about it and before it was discovered? That would be one scary encounter. O.O
Other than it's nose as a distinguishing feature, it's mouth and it's color are also very distinguishing. These sharks are actually pink in color. Whereas, most other sharks are a shade of grey or grey-ish blue. In the picture (above) it's hard to see the color as pink. The reason Goblins are pink is because of all the blood vessels underneath their semi-transparent skin.
These sharks hunt by detecting their prey's electro-sensitivity. When they find their prey, their jaws protrude and a tongue-like muscle sucks them into the mouth.
When it comes to the Goblin Sharks' reproduction habits, there is nothing known. This is because of how deep down these sharks are submerged.''
These sharks are known to be a higher-level carnivore in their territory.
This is my knowledge of the Goblin Sharks. I hope you enjoyed reading about (and possibly staring at) this incredible (and scary looking) species of sharks.
Image courtesy of science.discovery.com
Scientific Name: Mitsukurina owstoni
Length: Near 11 feet
Weight: Close to 350 pounds
This shark lives in some of the deepest waters. They can actually submerge to depths below 600 feet. These sharks are deep-sea sharks. The deepest this shark has been caught was at 4,265 feet below the surface.
The Goblin Shark was first discovered in Japan. It was found near Tosa Bay and Toso Peninsula.
Can you imagine diving and coming face to face with this shark without knowing anything about it and before it was discovered? That would be one scary encounter. O.O
Other than it's nose as a distinguishing feature, it's mouth and it's color are also very distinguishing. These sharks are actually pink in color. Whereas, most other sharks are a shade of grey or grey-ish blue. In the picture (above) it's hard to see the color as pink. The reason Goblins are pink is because of all the blood vessels underneath their semi-transparent skin.
These sharks hunt by detecting their prey's electro-sensitivity. When they find their prey, their jaws protrude and a tongue-like muscle sucks them into the mouth.
When it comes to the Goblin Sharks' reproduction habits, there is nothing known. This is because of how deep down these sharks are submerged.''
These sharks are known to be a higher-level carnivore in their territory.
This is my knowledge of the Goblin Sharks. I hope you enjoyed reading about (and possibly staring at) this incredible (and scary looking) species of sharks.
Image courtesy of science.discovery.com
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Blacktip Reef Sharks
Name: Blacktip Reef Shark
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus melanopterus
Length: Just over 5 feet
Weight: Between 20 and 25 pounds
Blacktip Reef Sharks Are known for the tips of their fins being black. Although, they're called Blacktips, just before the dorsal fin fade to black, the tip are actually white (as you can see in the picture above). Blacktip Reef Sharks prefer more shallow waters. They are very skittish and timid, therefore posing very little threat to humans. They are not likely to approach a human. However, they could mistakenly bite your leg while you may be wading in the more shallow water.
This type of shark is often caught for its meat, fins, and liver oil. Despite this, they're not considered to be a commercially significant species. This means they are not thought to be of any real significance. These sharks are thought much less of because of their timid and shy nature, when really, they should be thought more of because of it. Like I say all the time, sharks don't intentionally come after you. But on the rare occasions where they do attack a human, you don't hear the end of it. You are more likely to know of a Great White Shark before any other sharks because they're blamed for more attacks on humans than most other sharks. But no one pays any attention to the sharks that aren't guilty of hardly any, if any at all, attacks on humans.
Blacktip Reef Sharks often swim in waters close enough to shore that you can see their dorsal fin. They have been spotted at some depths unusual for a reef shark because of its usual depth only being a few meters deep. This shark, unlike the White Tip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Shark, predominate shallower waters. The White Tip and Grey Reef Sharks can be found in deeper waters.
This shark is typically a streamline form, like most sharks. They also have a wide, short, rounded snout and their eyes are large and more oval shaped. The maximum recorded weight of a Blacktip Reef Shark was 30 pounds, and the longest recorded length is 6.6 feet.
Blacktip Reef Sharks, especially smaller ones, are commonly preyed on by larger fish-such as a grouper- and other sharks-Tiger Sharks and occasionally other Blacktips.
They are also an apex predator. However, they're an apex predator within their own ecosystem. They also play a part in helping structure inshore ecological communities.
This is my knowledge of the Blacktip Reef Shark. Hope you have enjoyed what you've read so far! :3
Image courtesy of http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu
Scientific Name: Carcharhinus melanopterus
Length: Just over 5 feet
Weight: Between 20 and 25 pounds
This type of shark is often caught for its meat, fins, and liver oil. Despite this, they're not considered to be a commercially significant species. This means they are not thought to be of any real significance. These sharks are thought much less of because of their timid and shy nature, when really, they should be thought more of because of it. Like I say all the time, sharks don't intentionally come after you. But on the rare occasions where they do attack a human, you don't hear the end of it. You are more likely to know of a Great White Shark before any other sharks because they're blamed for more attacks on humans than most other sharks. But no one pays any attention to the sharks that aren't guilty of hardly any, if any at all, attacks on humans.
Blacktip Reef Sharks often swim in waters close enough to shore that you can see their dorsal fin. They have been spotted at some depths unusual for a reef shark because of its usual depth only being a few meters deep. This shark, unlike the White Tip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Shark, predominate shallower waters. The White Tip and Grey Reef Sharks can be found in deeper waters.
This shark is typically a streamline form, like most sharks. They also have a wide, short, rounded snout and their eyes are large and more oval shaped. The maximum recorded weight of a Blacktip Reef Shark was 30 pounds, and the longest recorded length is 6.6 feet.
Blacktip Reef Sharks, especially smaller ones, are commonly preyed on by larger fish-such as a grouper- and other sharks-Tiger Sharks and occasionally other Blacktips.
They are also an apex predator. However, they're an apex predator within their own ecosystem. They also play a part in helping structure inshore ecological communities.
This is my knowledge of the Blacktip Reef Shark. Hope you have enjoyed what you've read so far! :3
Image courtesy of http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu
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