Top Shark Facts

#1 A lengthy study completed in 2013 has found that shark moms go home — to the place where they were born — to give birth to their young.


#2 Sharks are apex predators. Sitting at the top of the food chain, they do not have any natural predators.


#3 Sharks can generate up to 40,000 pounds per square inch of pressure in a single bite. That's easily enough to chomp off a limb


#4 Almost 50 different shark species have light-emitting organs called photospheres. Sharks use their light for camouflage and to attract mates


#5 Modern sharks breathe by ram ventilation, a method that forces water into their mouths and then processes it as they swim forward


#6 Certain shark species (such as great white) will drown if they stop moving. They lack necessary muscles to pump water through their mouth


#7 There are 35 families of sharks altogether


#8 Why do shark embryos eat each other in the womb? They have different fathers and compete so one father’s pup is born and not others.


#9 Video research in 2014 shows that sharks can swim in schools of sharks made up of multiple shark species.


#10 Why are sharks important? They keep populations of smaller fish in check. Without sharks, entire ecosystems are disrupted.


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