Page 63 - World of Animals - Issue #36

O
R
S
IN
C N E V G
CONSERVING

SHARKS

These prehistoric predators
lived through four

mass extinction events
and survived what the

dinosaurs couldn’t, but

sadly overfishing may see

these fearsome fish wiped
out for good

Words Naomi Harding

Sharks have been swimming in our oceans for 450 million
years. These fearsome fish have developed an excellent

set of skills to take down their target with ease. Sharks
are able to smell prey from a great distance and as their
nostrils are solely for smelling, their olfactory system is
highly specialised.
It has been claimed that a shark can smell a single
drop of blood in an Olympic-sized swimming pool, but it
turns out this may have been fuelled by our fear of sharks

rather than by fact. Scientists tested five coastal shark
species and found their sense of smell was no better than
any other fish.

Out of more than 400 shark species, one third of
open ocean species are endangered. With pollution
rife, trawlers everywhere, and movies such as Jaws still
popular, it seems as though sharks have been persecuted
as a result. Many people have a fear of sharks, but much in
the same way people are frightened of spiders that can’t
hurt us, sharks pose little danger either. In 2015 there were
just 98 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide. Very few of
these were fatal and in some cases the sharks were just
‘sample biting’. When the shark realises the human isn’t a
suitable meal, they release them.
It is possibly an unfounded fear of these creatures
that has hampered conservation efforts and fund-raising
attempts. Perhaps it’s time they received a PR makeover.

63

062-066_ConservingSharks_NH.indd 63 20/07/2016 15:33