Page 331 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

SHARKS, RAYS, AND CHIMAERAS 329

ORDER LAMNIFORMES HUMAN IMPACT
White Shark SHARK ATTACK

The white shark has made more
Carcharodon carcharias
LENGTH Up to about unprovoked attacks on humans
20 ft (6 m) than any other shark. However,
WEIGHT Over 3.7 tons humans are not its natural prey
(3.4 metric tons) and many such attacks can be
DEPTH 0–4,300 ft put down to the shark mistaking a
(0–1,300 m) diver for a seal or turtle. When
DISTRIBUTION Wide range through most oceans stimulated by bait in the water,
except polar waters white sharks will bite anything,
even a metal diving cage.
The white shark, or great white,
is one of the most powerful predators
in the ocean and has a reputation as
a killing machine. In fact, this shark
is intelligent and capable of complex
social interactions. It is, however, first
and foremost a predator, feeding on
prey that ranges from small fish to
tuna, marine mammals (such as
porpoises, seals, and sea lions), and
birds (such as gannets and penguins).
Its powerful, tapered body and
crescent-shaped tail are designed for
sudden, swift attack, which may occur
with such momentum that the shark
leaves the water. It can sustain high
speeds even in cold waters because it
can maintain a body temperature well
above that of the surrounding water
due to adaptations in its circulatory
system. This means that the shark’s
metabolism is more efficient than that
of other sharks, allowing it to swim
faster and with greater endurance.
Large numbers of these sharks are
attracted to areas where there are
sea mammal colonies, such as
off South Africa. Satellite tags
have shown that they can
migrate huge distances. Their numbers
are declining due to sport fishing,
netting, and commercial bycatch.
serrated
edge COUNTER-SHADED COLORATION
FEARSOME TEETH From above, the shark’s dark back merges
This shark’s teeth can be up to 3 in with the seabed; from below, its white
(7.5 cm) long. They are as hard as steel belly blends with the down-welling light.
with razor-sharp, serrated edges that can
slice through the toughest flesh.

With its chain-link pattern, this shark
ORDER LAMNIFORMES ORDER CARCHARHINIFORMES
(also known as the chain catfish) is
Goblin Shark Chain Catshark unmistakable. It is one of about 160
catsharks that make up the largest
shark family, Scyliorhinidae. Living
Mitsukurina owstoni Scyliorhinus retifer
LENGTH Up to LENGTH on the seabed, it feeds on worms,
12 / 4 ft (3.9 m) 2 ft (0.6 m) crustaceans, and small fish. Deep
3
WEIGHT Up to 460 lb WEIGHT furrows connect the nostrils to the
(210 kg) Not recorded mouth, and the eyes are catlike.
DEPTH 1,000–4,300 ft DEPTH 246–2,461 ft Catsharks lay 40–50 eggs per year in
(300–1,300 m) (75–750 m) horny capsules with long tendrils at
DISTRIBUTION Not fully known, but thought to be in DISTRIBUTION North and western Atlantic, each corner. The empty cases may
temperate and tropical waters Caribbean be washed ashore and are known
as mermaid’s purses.
One of the strangest-looking of all
deep-water sharks, the goblin shark this shark except that it gives birth
is pale pink, with a flabby body, tiny to live young and after death changes
eyes, and a long, flattened, bill-like from pinkish to a dirty, brownish gray
snout. This strange projection is color. Only a few dozen goblin sharks
covered in electroreceptors and is have officially been caught, and this
probably used to detect prey in the species is thought to be rare. Most data
inky depths. Beneath the snout, the has come from sharks caught by boats OCEAN LIFE
goblin shark has specialized jaws that fishing for deep-water fish using long
can be shot forward to grab fish and lines. Fossils of sharks very similar to
octopuses using long, pointed teeth. this species have been found in rocks
Not very much else is known about over 100 million years old.