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Sharks come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes. Here are profiles
of just four of the more than 350 known species.
Wobbegong sharks hide amid reefs. |
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The Wobbegong
The Wobbegong, or Carpet shark, is a pudgy, toad-like bottom dweller common
along the coast of Australia and the warm waters around other Pacific islands.
As THE SECRET WORLD OF SHARKS AND RAYS shows, the Wobbegong has short, wiggly
tendrils around its mouth that resemble seaweed, fooling small fish into thinking
the shark is a place to hide. Off Australia, the Wobbegong "is usually the
first shark a diver encounters," says Stephen
Bilson, a Down Under diver who runs a Web page dedicated to sharks. "The
first time I ever saw a Wobbegong, I was down on the wreck of the 'Scottish Prince'
on the Gold Coast of Queensland. The instructor called us to him and was pointing
to a part of the wreck. When I got there, I got the shock of my life! Here within
about 18 inches of my face were what I considered to be huge animals. There were
a whole bunch of them lying on top of each other, the largest about five feet.
It was a magical experience for me."
"If you haven't seen a Wobbegong," Bilson says, "they are extremely
well camouflaged. I've seen many divers kick them, stand on them, or run into
them. That is really the biggest danger. It must always be remembered that these
are big fish with teeth, not really scared of divers. I'm not saying they are
a dangerous species of shark -- I'm just pointing out that if you provoke one,
it might bite you. If they do bite you, they have a tendency to hold on."
Basking
Shark
Though Whale sharks are the world's largest shark, Basking sharks
come in a close second, growing to over 30 feet long. Like Whale sharks,
Basking sharks are gentle creatures that feed on plankton. They live
around the world, cruising along the surface at five or six miles an
hour, filtering plankton from the water with enormous gills, specially
adapted to work like strainers. A single shark can filter a volume of
water equivalent to that found in a 150-foot long swimming pool every
day. Remarkably, the huge sharks, which can weigh more than 3 tons,
sometimes make spectacular leaps out of the water, crashing back into
the waves with an enormous splash. Researchers are not sure why the
great fish make the leaps, but it may be to remove parasites or to communicate
with other sharks. Unfortunately, Basking sharks are under heavy pressure
from fishing fleets. Their livers, which can account for up to one third
of their body weight, produce a valuable oil used to lubricate engines
and manufacture cosmetics. And their dorsal fins, which can be six feet
high, are valued for soup. As a result of overfishing, Basking sharks
are now believed to be extinct in some areas they once inhabited.
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