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Sea Creature Kingdom

Sharks

Over 500 species — meet the most amazing ones!

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Sharks are fish — cartilaginous fish that have roamed Earth's oceans for over 450 million years, making them older than dinosaurs. With over 500 known species, sharks range from the 40-foot whale shark to the tiny 8-inch dwarf lanternshark. Are sharks dangerous to humans? Most aren't — sharks kill fewer than 10 people per year worldwide, while humans kill about 100 million sharks per year.

The Famous Ones
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
Weird and Wonderful Sharks
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"
Reef and Coastal Sharks
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
Speed and Power Sharks
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
Small and Bottom-Dwelling Sharks
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

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Last updated: May 2026

Shark Questions — Answered

Are sharks fish or mammals?

Sharks are fish — specifically cartilaginous fish (class Chondrichthyes). They breathe through gills, are cold-blooded, and have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. They are not mammals.

How big do sharks get?

The whale shark is the largest shark at up to 40 feet (12 m). The great white reaches up to 20 feet. The smallest is the dwarf lanternshark at just 8 inches. Most sharks are 3–10 feet long.

What do sharks eat?

It depends on the species. Great whites eat seals and fish. Whale sharks filter-feed on plankton. Bull sharks eat fish, rays, and smaller sharks. Tiger sharks eat almost anything — even license plates have been found in their stomachs!

Are sharks dangerous to humans?

Most sharks are not dangerous. Only great white, bull, and tiger sharks account for most attacks. Sharks kill fewer than 10 people per year — humans kill about 100 million sharks per year.

Shark vs orca — who wins?

Orcas (killer whales) are the only natural predators of great white sharks. Orcas hunt in pods, are larger on average, and have been documented flipping great whites upside-down to induce tonic immobility. Orcas win.

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