Sharks Fascinate Us

Sharks fascinate us and elicit a response from people like few other creatures. Whether it is a glimpse of a dorsal fin, the shape of a large animal underwater, or simply the word ‘shark’, sharks will grab your attention in an instant.

Why do sharks draw our interest? There are many reasons. One reason we are drawn to sharks is that they possess all of the characteristics which draw human interest: the ability to be powerful, mysterious, beautiful, dangerous, and unexplored. While we might be interested in the fact that sharks are carnivores and have developed interesting methods of finding prey, sharks offer much more than their role as predators. Sharks also have extremely complex sensory systems, unique bodily features, and an evolutionary history dating back over a hundred million years. The variety of places where sharks live allows humans to spend relatively short periods of time visiting these areas while they continue to thrive in the environment. This range includes both shallow coastal waters and the extreme depths of the open ocean. Perhaps one of the most important reasons is how little we actually understand sharks. This mix of what we already know about sharks and what we have yet to discover explains why our fascination with sharks continues from generation to generation.

Humans are drawn to sharks for several reasons. Some of these reasons relate to biology; others to psychology; and some to culture.

Humans will always be fascinated by animals that differ dramatically from us. The majority of a shark’s existence occurs in a habitat we rarely encounter. It is difficult to monitor their movements throughout the ocean and understand all aspects of their behaviour. This creates mystery. However, there are several physical features present in many sharks that attract immediate attention:

• Strength of movement
• Developmental complexity of senses
• Replaceable rows of teeth
• Body shape conducive to speed
• Diversity of reproductive strategies
• Ability to sense electromagnetic fields
• Long-term evolution
• Specialisations related to a variety of different marine environments

Additionally, sharks often have unpredictable elements. For example, a shark can quickly dive below the waterline and leave you wondering exactly where it went and what it was doing. Many terrestrial animals exist primarily within our line of sight. Conversely, a great deal of a shark’s life exists out of view. That uncertainty is a major reason sharks intrigue humans.

Humans may experience fear and fascination toward an animal at the same time.

Often, humans seek out information on things perceived as powerful, new, or possibly hazardous. As we begin to understand it, the unknown becomes somewhat less strange. Sharks exemplify this perfectly. Most people do not regularly see a shark in its natural habitat; however, most people recognise what a shark looks like when they see it. As such, sharks can be seen as more than just another species of fish. In reality, sharks represent the untamed and unpredictable nature of the entire ocean itself.

Additionally, humans’ relationship with sharks has changed dramatically over history. Sharks have been portrayed as fearful creatures and as respectful/powerful beings within various forms of storytelling and tradition across cultures. Historically, humans were fascinated by sharks before their portrayal in modern film and television. The Smithsonian has shown that humans have been fascinated by sharks for centuries.

One reason sharks continue to fascinate people is that they live in an environment largely unknown to humanity. The ocean covers most of Earth’s surface, but for most people, only a very small portion of it has been explored personally. Humans have limited ability to inspect what is occurring beneath the ocean’s surface visually. This makes it difficult to know how many animals (including fish) are under the ocean when we view the surface from above. A shark could swim inches or feet away from someone who is standing at the edge of the ocean, and still be invisible.

A shark will always be moving around in its own ‘underwater’ world. A shark will spend time travelling through all areas of the ocean. They will also travel along coastlines. Some sharks will dive down to great depths. Some sharks will even travel from one area of the ocean to another, while humans require special equipment to make these journeys. Therefore, there exists a big difference. Humans are generally good observers while walking on land. However, when humans visit the ocean, they become visitors.

For those reasons, viewing a shark swimming in the ocean can change how we think about sharks. For example, watching a shark swim in the ocean on television might make you see it as something scary. However, watching the same shark swimming in the ocean where it lives will give you an entirely different perception of the shark.

Another reason we find sharks so fascinating, however, is due to their incredible evolutionary history.

Sharks are old. According to The Natural History Museum, fossil records indicate that relatives of modern sharks could be at least about 450 million years old; however, it has been suggested by some scientists that the very first “true” sharks (that is to say sharks as they exist today) date back even further in time.

As such, many shark lineages endured massive environmental changes to Earth’s climate, oceans, and ecosystems, as well as many mass extinction events.

Compared with the age of the dinosaurs, shark-like creatures had been around much longer.

Therefore, while over the last few hundred million years sharks themselves have undergone no dramatic or sudden evolutionary changes, they have, however, evolved dramatically and diversely. There are now large filter-feeding sharks, small sharks that live in extreme deep-water conditions, and specialised bottom-dwelling sharks. Each species has developed distinct body forms, feeding methods, sensory capabilities, and behaviours that allow it to survive and thrive in its environment.

Therefore, the belief that sharks are ‘primitive’ animals that have survived without significant evolutionary change is misguided. In reality, the evolutionary history of sharks represents one of the greatest examples of adaptability and diversity ever recorded.

The ampullae of Lorenzini are specialised sensory organs which allow some living animals (sharks) to experience the environment with an additional sense called electroreception. The electrical fields in a shark’s environment result from its own or other animals’ biological activities (e.g., muscle movement).
Electroreceptors are located along the length of a shark’s body, but they are most abundant around the nose and head area.

The ocean is vast, but pollution from other areas can travel long distances to reach it. Oceans are polluted every year by:

• Plastics that have been thrown away or dumped into the ocean
• Waste chemicals that have washed off land as run-off from rainstorms
• Remnants of pharmaceuticals and other medicines that humans used
• Petroleum-based products from oil spills
• Wastes from industrial processes
• Raw sewage that has not received treatment

Sharks also have a lateral line system (a type of sensory system). The lateral line detects movement or vibrations in the water around the shark.
When an animal moves through the water, it pushes some of that water aside. The movement of the displaced water carries information about what is going on nearby (even if the shark can’t see because of poor light), allowing the shark to get an idea of what’s happening.

Sharks’ shapes are an attractive part of their appeal. A streamlined body characterises many shark species; this clearly communicates that the shark can move quickly through the water. In addition to movement, the shark’s anatomy is highly connected to the environment where it lives. Sharks are comprised primarily of cartilage (versus true bones) and also have skin that is covered with small, tooth-like projections referred to as dermal denticles versus scale-type coverings that are common among bony fish. Shark fins stabilise the shark during swimming, steer it, and propel it through the water. The way in which the water moves over the shark’s body depends upon the shape of the shark’s body. There are many types of sharks, each having evolved into a very unique form. Some are very long and slender, while some are flattened and have developed adaptations that allow them to live near the bottom of the ocean. Some sharks have very wide heads, while some have elongated tails, unusual snout shapes or other distinguishing features. Once you look past the typical image of a shark’s silhouette, you see an amazing amount of diversity.

Pop culture often depicts “the shark” as though Sharks were all the same species.

Sharks are extremely diverse animals.

Each type of shark may feed on different items such as:

• Fish
• Squid
• Crustaceans
• Rays
• Marine mammals
• Other types of Sharks
• Tiny organisms (Plankton) and other small organisms

Like their diet, their lifestyles can be extremely varied. Some sharks travel large distances across the ocean, while many remain closely associated with reefs, coastal habitats, or the seafloor. Additionally, some Sharks are active hunters while larger species like whale Sharks and basking Sharks filter small organisms from the water to eat them. There is even more variation between individual members of a specific species than there is for behaviour in general. This includes age, habitat, environmental conditions and availability of food.

With all these variations, studying Sharks can become almost endless.

Shark tooth anatomy may be the aspect of shark biology that receives the most interest from both the general public and scientists alike. Why would this be? One major explanation is their size. However, shark teeth are also interesting scientifically.

Although many animals (and humans) replace some or all of their teeth at least once during their lifetime, sharks constantly replace theirs, and the shapes vary by species. The shape of these replacement teeth often provides information regarding food eaten by the animal as well as the method by which the animal ate its prey.

Some replacement teeth allow the predator to grasp slippery prey, while others are best for cutting. Other predators have flat replacement teeth that allow them to break apart and eat hard-shelled prey.

In addition to providing a wealth of biological data on modern-day sharks, fossilised shark replacement teeth are very useful tools to palaeontologists. As mentioned earlier, cartilage does not generally preserve well through time. Therefore, without teeth, we likely would never know which shark species existed over 50 million years ago. Thus, when people say that they “love” shark teeth, it isn’t just their ability to catch fish that makes them interesting. In fact, they offer a view into the diets of modern sharks, the evolutionary history of sharks, and even ancient oceans.

Sharks have become cultural icons through books, documentary series, TV shows and movies. No movie has had as strong an influence on how most modern-day people perceive sharks as “Jaws”. The image of a large shark (intentionally) targeting humans is so prevalent in today’s media that many people who do not watch “Jaws” can recognise it by its theme song or by seeing a dorsal fin heading toward a swimming person.

However, the issue is that entertainment does not equal science. Real shark behaviour is far more complex than what is portrayed in fiction. Ironically, scary depictions of sharks may have contributed to increased interest in sharks, but they also contributed to misinterpretation. Modern-day shark research and educational materials, such as documentaries and educational programs, have begun to help reduce some of these misconceptions about sharks.

Intelligence in animals is difficult to define because human abilities should not define it. For example, a shark will encounter different survival challenges than a human, primate, or terrestrial mammal. For a shark to survive, it must find food; avoid predators; travel through complex environments (such as coral reefs); and in some cases, make long migrations from one place to another.

Recent research has also shown that sharks do not have a simplistic behaviour pattern as previously believed. The ability to adapt their behaviour and learn from experiences has been documented with several species of sharks. Additionally, while many people view sharks as single-minded hunters that never stop hunting, evidence suggests that at least some shark species interact socially.

Seeing a shark swimming in the ocean (or even watching a video) is nothing like knowing facts about them. Pictures can capture the “moment,” but they rarely get you past that point. Documentaries might be designed to create tension or make your blood run cold; however, a live shark isn’t a photo.

You can watch it move, and when you see it swim, you will likely come away with information that is hard to convey through data. You’ll also see how its fins manipulate the rest of its body, how easily it seems able to navigate the water using minimal energy, and how it reacts to its environment.
This turns what was often perceived as an abstraction into an actual animal living within an ecological system. For this reason, many people who have seen such creatures feel curiosity rather than fear.

Perhaps there isn’t one single reason why people are fascinated by sharks. Sharks have been around since the time of dinosaurs, yet they continue to adapt; sharks can be frightening-looking creatures, but they swim at incredible speeds. Sharks’ senses allow them to perceive the world underwater in ways humans never can. We still do not fully understand the way of life of many shark species because they live in areas of Earth that make them difficult to explore. Most importantly, sharks also remind us that the ocean is a “wild place.” Learning about shark biology lets readers see examples of how these animals breathe, hunt, reproduce, etc. Watching sharks swim in their natural environment offers an entirely new point of view.

If you would like to go beyond the legends of the sea and experience sharks as animals as opposed to film characters or newspaper headline characters, then learn about shark cage diving in Gansbaai. This includes what to expect during this adventure, the shark cage dive process, and answers to some commonly asked shark cage diving FAQs.