Humans have more in common with these oceanic predators than is often believed. Sharks are among the oldest vertebrate predators on Earth. They, or their closest ancestors, survived Earth's five great mass extinctions. They are in every corner of the ocean and developed surprising characteristics. These are some of the amazing traits of sharks.
Mathematics and friends
They know how to do mathematics. They are thought to be unintelligent predators, driven solely by instinct and voracious appetite. But they distinguish between different abstract patterns and colored geometric shapes. They can remember information about shapes and optical illusions for almost a year. Sharks have belly buttons. Some lay eggs, but many gestate their young in the womb. They are fed through an umbilical cord just like humans. Among them bull sharks and hammerhead sharks. For weeks or months after birth, these babies have a navel until the umbilical cord scar heals.
Baby sharks eat each other in the womb. It happens with sand tiger shark pups. They live a fight for survival from the beginning, while they are still inside their mother. This is known as intrauterine cannibalism or adelphophagia, which means "eating your brother."
Sharks have best friends. They are not the solitary hunters they are often described as. Gray reef sharks like to hang out with the same group of friends for at least four years. They then divide into smaller groups and each go their own way and meet again throughout the seasons. Lemon shark pups also like to live in groups. They learn new skills from each other during these social interactions.
The body of sharks is covered with tiny teeth. Shark skin is a wonderful material. In 18th century Italy, craftsmen used it to polish the delicate edges of priceless Stradivarius violins. In Victorian Britain it became a highly prized accessory for cabinetmakers, called shagreen.
Old as life
They can sense your heartbeat. They have super senses that allow them to detect changes in pressure or voltage in water, and even the Earth's magnetic field. Thanks to this, they can hunt in total darkness or find prey hidden in the sand. They are older than trees, the rings of Saturn and the North Star. The oldest fossil evidence dates back to 450 million years ago.
That's about 60 million years before the first trees. 220 million before the dinosaurs. 350 million years before Saturn's rings. 380 million years before the birth of the North Star. And all these are just some of the amazing traits of sharks
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