(Below) A scuba diver swims with a shark
Sharks are best known as ruthless, bloodthirsty, man-eating, beasts. This, however, is NOT true. If any race is ruthless and bloodthirsty, it is.... US! Humans kill sharks for their teeth and fins, to eat and wear. We kill them for our own pleasure. We are beasts. They are not. Humans kill more sharks than sharks kill humans. Since shark's numbers are dwindling, we have to spread awareness and wake up to the cold, hard truth. We are killing sharks, and we, ourselves, are the reason sharks are becoming extinct. In order to spread awareness, we will learn about sharks. First, we will learn about their eel-like appearance, then their amazing hunting skills, and finally, we will go behind the scenes, and see their reasons for attacking humans.
Appearence
Sharks come in many sizes, colors, and also shapes. For instance, the sand shark blends in to the sand, so that it can sneak up on it's prey. The dwarf lanternshark is the smallest shark in the world, at a mere 8.3 inches (21.2 cm).The cookie cutter shark is a shark that takes a bite of it's prey with it's cookie shaped mouth. It leaves a bite like a cookie cutter would leave.
The hammerhead shark has a "hammer" head, hence, it's name. It has eyes on the side of it's head, a brain in the middle of it's head, and an amazing sense of smell.
The whale shark is the largest shark in the world. However, it is the least dangerous, as it is a "filter-feeder", meaning it only feeds on plankton and other small sea creatures in the water. The mako shark is the smallest shark in the world. (also the fastest)
Why They Attacked
It is widely known that sharks occasionally attack humans. But it is not widely known why. One of the reasons sharks attack is illustrated above. We look like food to sharks. Sharks eat sea turtles and sea lions, and when we are on a surfboard, we look like a sea lion or a sea turtle to them. They attack us thinking we are food, and they usually back off once they realize we are in fact, not a sea lion or turtle. Another reason sharks attack us is because WE attack THEM. They figure it can work both ways. We eat their fins, they eat us. It is simple. They are getting the revenge they deserve.
However, if you are attacked by a shark, you should punch either it's nose or it's eyes. This will hopefully warn it away, and, if not, you might end up dying.
As you can see, sharks are actually not bloodthirsty monsters, but misunderstood beings of the ocean. Although, sometimes they attack, we kill more of them than they attack us. Sharks are misunderstood, and only we can save them. We cannot fail. We must not fail.
This is a video of a successful human/shark interaction(below)
Credits:
Created with images by lwpkommunikacio - "Őrült napok egy ausztrál vadasparkban (3. évad)" • Derek Keats - "The Whaleshark Collection at Daedalus Reef, Red Sea, Egypt: diver and shark, vertical" • edenpictures - "Hammerhead Shark"