Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about sharks. When most people hear the word shark they think of giant jaws and killer predators of the deep, but, like we talked about in our great white shark episode, there is more to sharks than the sigma society has given them. Apart from being completely misrepresented in media, these animals are awesome! There are more than 400 living species of sharks and they don’t all look like the most iconic of the shark species. In this episode we’ll be discussing the eight main types of sharks and providing some more information on these fascinating marine creatures.

Let’s start off with arguably the cutest sharks, the bullheads. These adorable, somewhat pig nosed fishes have prominent ridges above their eyes which really don’t do anything for upping their intimidation factor. There are fewer than a dozen bullhead shark species, but some of the more well known ones include Port Jackson and horn sharks. These sharks lay eggs that look like a corkscrew and can actually take hours to push out! Plus, bullhead sharks have molars at the back of their mouths. These are used for crushing up hard prey including mollusks, crustaceans, and sea urchins!

Some other fantastic looking sharks are the sawsharks. Not to be confused with the similar looking sawfish, sawsharks also have a long, toothy snoot that also comes with barbels. These barbels are covered in ampullae of Lorenzini - which are electro-receptors that are super sensitive to the electric fields of prey items. These receptors are found in other shark species, but none of them pull it off quite as flawlessly as the sawsharks.

Next on the list we have angel sharks. These sharks, with their flattened bodies, most closely resemble their cartilaginous brethren, the rays. Angel sharks spend most of their time hiding in the sand waiting for the perfect moment to strike a meal. They’re only found in marine waters - which doesn’t apply to all shark species, as we’ll be discussing in just a bit - and they have breathing holes on top of their heads.

The most diverse and second largest group of sharks are the dogfish. This group of sharks is often referred to a the extreme group of sharks. Some of these sharks live miles below the ocean’s surface, and others prefer shallow waters. This group also includes what is currently considered the smallest shark species, the Dwarf lantern shark, as well as the longest living sharks, greenland sharks. Heck, some dogfish shark species are even able to produce light! Now that’s fancy.

Moving on to another group of superbly splendid looking sharks - let’s talk about carpet sharks. Carpet sharks get this name because many species spend their lives living on the bottom of the ocean - so… like… the ocean’s carpet? They also get this name because they can come in ornate patterns, y’know like fancy… carpets… They look super pretty, okay?! Some examples of carpet sharks include wobbegongs, nurse sharks, zebra sharks, bamboo sharks, and… wait, is this right? Whale sharks, the largest living sharks, are also carpet sharks. Eh, I can kind of see the resemblance. As you can probably guess, carpet sharks are diverse - in fact, they’re so awesome, some species can even walk on land for brief periods of time!

Perhaps the least well known sharks are the six and seven gill sharks. I mean, with a name as boring as that it’s no wonder they’re not well known. You all should give some better name suggestions in the comments. Six and seven gill sharks are considered the most primitive sharks and some species include bluntnose, broadnose, and sharpnose sharks - no, I’m not joking - as well as the frilled sharks we’ve discussed in a previous episode.

The largest group of sharks are the ground, or whaler, sharks. This order boasts more than half the living shark species and includes reef, leopard, tiger, and bull sharks. Though their numbers are great, these sharks generally have a similar body shape - though this group does include hammerheads and they admittedly have some interesting anatomy. Ground sharks have closable eyelids, unlike the next order we’ll be discussing, and as a diverse group they are found in diverse areas. Ground sharks are often referred to as “generalists” because they live in many different habitats, including freshwater environments, and they consume all kinds of prey.

Some of the sharks with the meanest reputations are the mackerel sharks. Not only does this order include great whites, it’s also the order in which goblin, mako, thresher, and basking sharks are classified. These sharks don’t have eyelids and instead roll their dark eyes back to protect them while attacking prey - though I’m not sure I would call the basking or megamouth’s filter feeding mode of eating… “attacking”. Mackerel sharks give birth to live young that have hatched from eggs inside the mother’s womb. Sometimes the babies will even compete with one another and eat each other before even being born!

For more facts on sharks, check out the links in the description. Thank you to verkaforever for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!