Sea Creature Kingdom

Great White Shark

Carcharodon carcharias

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 20 ft

Weight

Up to 5,000 lbs

Diet

Seals, fish, dolphins

Lifespan

Up to 70 years

Fun Facts

Has up to 300 serrated teeth arranged in multiple rows
Can detect a single drop of blood from 3 miles away
Jumps completely out of the water — called breaching
Has no natural predators except orcas
Featured in the movie Jaws but rarely attacks humans

Tiger Shark

Galeocerdo cuvier

Near Threatened

Size

Up to 14 ft

Weight

Up to 2,000 lbs

Diet

Almost anything!

Habitat

Warm coastal waters

Fun Facts

Named for the dark tiger-like stripes on young sharks that fade as they age
Will eat almost ANYTHING — license plates, tires, and even a suit of armor have been found in their stomachs
Second most dangerous shark to humans after bull sharks
Can go months without eating a single meal

Bull Shark

Carcharhinus leucas

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 11 ft

Weight

Up to 700 lbs

Diet

Fish, dolphins, turtles

Habitat

Ocean AND rivers!

Fun Facts

The ONLY shark that can swim in freshwater rivers — has been found 2,500 miles up the Amazon
Considered the most dangerous shark because it lives near where people swim
Named for its thick blunt snout and aggressive headbutting behaviour
Has the highest testosterone levels of any animal on Earth

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

Endangered

Size

Up to 40 ft

Weight

Up to 47,000 lbs

Diet

Plankton, tiny fish

Lifespan

Up to 130 years

Fun Facts

The LARGEST fish in the entire world
Despite its massive size it only eats tiny plankton — completely harmless to humans
Has about 3,000 tiny teeth but does not use them to bite
Each whale shark has a unique spot pattern — like a fingerprint
People swim with them safely all around the world

Great Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna mokarran

Critically Endangered

Size

Up to 20 ft

Weight

Up to 1,000 lbs

Diet

Stingrays, fish, squid

Habitat

Warm oceans worldwide

Fun Facts

Its wide head gives it 360 degree vision — it can see above and below at the same time
Can detect the electric fields of animals buried under sand
Loves to eat stingrays and is immune to their venom
Swims with its dorsal fin out of the water like a movie shark

Basking Shark

Cetorhinus maximus

Endangered

Size

Up to 40 ft

Weight

Up to 13,000 lbs

Diet

Plankton only

Habitat

Cool temperate oceans

Fun Facts

Second largest fish in the world after the whale shark
Swims slowly with its massive mouth wide open filtering plankton
Can filter over 2,000 tons of water per hour through its gills
Completely harmless — too gentle to care about humans at all

Goblin Shark

Mitsukurina owstoni

Least Concern

Size

Up to 13 ft

Weight

Up to 460 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid, crabs

Habitat

Deep ocean — 3,000+ ft

Fun Facts

Has a long flat snout that looks like a sword — very alien looking
Its jaw can shoot forward to snap up prey in a split second
Pink coloured because you can see its blood vessels through its skin
Lives so deep it is almost never seen alive by humans
Called a living fossil — barely changed in 125 million years

Greenland Shark

Somniosus microcephalus

Near Threatened

Size

Up to 24 ft

Weight

Up to 3,100 lbs

Diet

Fish, seals, even polar bears

Lifespan

Up to 500 YEARS

Fun Facts

The LONGEST living vertebrate animal on Earth — up to 500 years old
Swims incredibly slowly — less than 1 mph — but catches sleeping seals
Lives in freezing Arctic waters under sea ice
Its flesh is toxic to eat — contains a natural antifreeze compound
Does not reach adulthood until around 150 years old

Frilled Shark

Chlamydoselachus anguineus

Least Concern

Size

Up to 6.5 ft

Weight

Up to 20 lbs

Diet

Squid, fish

Habitat

Deep ocean worldwide

Fun Facts

Looks more like a sea serpent or eel than a shark
Has 300 trident-shaped teeth arranged in 25 rows
Almost never seen alive — lives in very deep dark water
One of the most ancient shark species still alive today
May have inspired ancient sea monster legends

Megamouth Shark

Megachasma pelagios

Least Concern

Size

Up to 18 ft

Weight

Up to 2,700 lbs

Diet

Plankton, jellyfish

Habitat

Deep open ocean

Fun Facts

Only discovered in 1976 — one of the most recent large animals ever found
Has a massive wide mouth that glows in the dark to attract plankton
Only seen about 100 times ever — extremely rare
Rises to shallower water at night to feed then dives deep by day

Cookiecutter Shark

Isistius brasiliensis

Least Concern

Size

Up to 22 inches

Weight

Under 10 lbs

Diet

Chunks of large animals

Habitat

Deep tropical oceans

Fun Facts

Named because it bites perfect round cookie-shaped chunks out of whales, dolphins, and even submarines
Tiny but attacks animals 1,000 times its size
Glows green in the dark to attract prey
Has the largest teeth of any shark relative to its body size

Wobbegong

Orectolobus species

Least Concern

Size

Up to 10 ft

Weight

Up to 130 lbs

Diet

Fish, octopus, crabs

Habitat

Australian ocean floors

Fun Facts

A carpet shark that lies flat on the seafloor and is almost invisible
Has fringes and patterns that look exactly like coral and rocks
Ambushes prey by staying perfectly still then striking in a flash
The name comes from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning "shaggy beard"

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 6 ft

Weight

Up to 30 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid, shrimp

Habitat

Tropical coral reefs

Fun Facts

Named for its distinctive black tips on all its fins
One of the most common sharks seen on coral reefs
Very shy and will swim away from humans
Often seen in large groups cruising shallow reef waters

Nurse Shark

Ginglymostoma cirratum

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 14 ft

Weight

Up to 730 lbs

Diet

Fish, shrimp, squid

Habitat

Shallow tropical waters

Fun Facts

Very slow and lazy — spends most of the day resting on the seafloor
Can breathe while staying still — most sharks must keep swimming
Completely harmless and often rests near swimmers without any problem
Uses suction to vacuum up prey hiding in rocks and coral

Lemon Shark

Negaprion brevirostris

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 11 ft

Weight

Up to 400 lbs

Diet

Fish, rays, crustaceans

Habitat

Shallow tropical coastal water

Fun Facts

Named for its yellowish-brown colour that blends with sandy seafloors
Returns to the same place every year to give birth
One of the most studied sharks in the world by scientists
Can go into a trance-like state called tonic immobility when flipped upside down

Zebra Shark

Stegostoma tigrinum

Endangered

Size

Up to 11.5 ft

Weight

Up to 65 lbs

Diet

Mollusks, crustaceans, fish

Habitat

Indo-Pacific coral reefs

Fun Facts

Young sharks have zebra stripes that turn into leopard spots as adults
So flexible it can bend almost in half to reach prey in crevices
Very gentle and popular in aquariums worldwide
Females have laid eggs without any males present — very rare ability

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus

Critically Endangered

Size

Up to 13 ft

Weight

Up to 370 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid, seabirds

Habitat

Open deep ocean

Fun Facts

Once one of the most common large animals on the planet — now critically endangered
Famous explorer Jacques Cousteau called it the most dangerous of all sharks
Named for the distinctive white tips on its rounded fins
Population has crashed by over 95% due to overfishing

Blue Shark

Prionace glauca

Near Threatened

Size

Up to 13 ft

Weight

Up to 450 lbs

Diet

Squid, fish

Habitat

Open deep oceans

Fun Facts

Stunning vivid blue colour on top with white underneath
One of the most wide-ranging animals — swims across entire oceans
Can have up to 135 pups in one litter
Migrates thousands of miles following currents around the Atlantic

Shortfin Mako Shark

Isurus oxyrinchus

Endangered

Size

Up to 13 ft

Weight

Up to 1,220 lbs

Diet

Tuna, swordfish, dolphins

Speed

Up to 45 mph

Fun Facts

The FASTEST shark in the ocean — up to 45 mph
Can leap 30 feet out of the water
Warm-blooded like mammals — very unusual for a fish
Smart enough to recognise individual boats and fishermen

Thresher Shark

Alopias vulpinus

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 20 ft

Weight

Up to 1,100 lbs

Diet

Small schooling fish, squid

Habitat

Open ocean worldwide

Fun Facts

Its tail fin is as long as the rest of its body — half its total length
Uses its massive tail like a whip to stun and kill fish
Can crack its tail like a whip at 30 mph creating shockwaves
Warm-blooded like the mako shark — very unusual

Sand Tiger Shark

Carcharias taurus

Critically Endangered

Size

Up to 10 ft

Weight

Up to 350 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid, rays

Habitat

Warm coastal waters

Fun Facts

Looks terrifying with its jagged snaggle teeth — but is actually very docile
Swallows air at the surface to stay neutrally buoyant — the only shark that does this
Embryos eat each other inside the mother before birth — survival of the fittest from the start
Popular in aquariums because it is calm and easy to keep

Leopard Shark

Triakis semifasciata

Least Concern

Size

Up to 7 ft

Weight

Up to 40 lbs

Diet

Fish, worms, crabs

Habitat

California coast bays

Fun Facts

Beautiful leopard-like spots and saddle markings on its back
Very common in shallow bays along the California coast
Completely harmless and shy around humans
Females gather in warm shallow water in huge groups to warm up and develop eggs

Spiny Dogfish

Squalus acanthias

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 5 ft

Weight

Up to 22 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid, octopus

Habitat

Cold temperate oceans

Fun Facts

Has sharp venomous spines in front of each dorsal fin
One of the most abundant sharks in the world
Has the longest pregnancy of any vertebrate — up to 2 years
Often used in science classes because there are so many of them

Bonnethead Shark

Sphyrna tiburo

Least Concern

Size

Up to 5 ft

Weight

Up to 24 lbs

Diet

Crabs, shrimp, seagrass!

Habitat

Shallow warm coastal waters

Fun Facts

The only shark known to eat plants — loves seagrass
Smallest of the hammerhead family with a rounded shovel-shaped head
Very common in shallow bays and estuaries of the southeastern USA
Has given birth without a male — a process called parthenogenesis

Angel Shark

Squatina squatina

Critically Endangered

Size

Up to 8 ft

Weight

Up to 175 lbs

Diet

Fish, crustaceans, mollusks

Habitat

Sandy seafloors

Fun Facts

Looks more like a ray than a shark — completely flat body
Buries itself in sand and ambushes prey that swims overhead
Its wide flat pectoral fins look like angel wings
Can strike prey in just 1/10th of a second — one of the fastest strikes in nature

Porbeagle

Lamna nasus

Vulnerable

Size

Up to 12 ft

Weight

Up to 500 lbs

Diet

Fish, squid

Habitat

Cold North Atlantic and Pacific

Fun Facts

One of the few sharks known to play — observed playing with floating objects just for fun
Warm-blooded which lets it swim in very cold waters
Looks similar to the great white but is much smaller and less aggressive
Very fast swimmer capable of bursts of high speed

Sharks

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