Finbacks are the second largest living animal

Posts Tagged ‘Shark’

For the kid who has everything, why not opt for a shark stuffed animal the next time a birthday, or holiday rolls around? Unlike the real thing, a child can get up close and personal with a shark stuffed animal. And the bigger it is, the more lifelike it will feel. Online stores have a very realistic looking three foot length shark stuffed animal, that is sure to delight any child. In addition, their shark stuffed animal is just soft enough to act as giant pillow for the child that insists they can’t ever part with their beloved plush toy, even when they’re sleeping.

Sharks have been around for about 400 million years swimming in oceans long before dinosaurs arrived. In the last 150 million years, they’ve had little need to evolve since they are such great survivors. Their most prominent feature, are their teeth – in an entire lifetime, a shark may grow and use more than 20,000 of them. In addition, if a shark breaks and loses a tooth, it’s immediately replaced with another that sits at the back of their mouth for just such an occasion.

Every species of shark has different shaped teeth (depending on their diet) which makes them easy to identify. A shark’s jaw is the most powerful of all animals and unlike most animals, both its upper and lower jaw moves. When they bite, a shark uses its lower jaw first, and then the upper jaw. They tear at their food while shaking their head back and forth and then swallow the food whole. Shark stuffed animals are exceptionally designed so as to replicate a sharks prominent teeth. Without them, shark stuffed animals just wouldn’t be the same.

With the exception of the whale and basking shark, all sharks are meat eaters and dine on fish, seals dolphins, turtles, and seagulls. When they feed, sharks do so alone. Feeding has been known to attract other sharks to the ‘party’ where sometimes a feeding frenzy will begin. The once species of shark, however, that you won’t see involved in feeding frenzies, is the great white.

If nothing else, shark stuffed animals can help a child to better understand these often misunderstood predators of the sea. It’s true that they’re frightening, but at the same time, they’re also incredibly interesting.

Shark videos are an effective visual method to educate people about the basic facts of the greatest predator under the sea.

Sharks are one of the nature’s greatest predator and highly intelligent species. Sharks have social hierarchy system and they also possess problem-solving skills and are curious by nature. Sharks sense of smell are keen, they spot a one part per million of blood in seawater that is miles away. Their sense of sight is well adapted for marine environment and their sense of hearing is so sharp,they can hear a prey that is mile away. They also possesses an electro receptor organs called Ampullae of Lorenzini that gives them the greatest electrical sensitivity in all of animal kingdom and help them find prey hidden in depths of sand.

Sharks are very peculiar beasts and it is no wonder people centuries over have been fascinated by them.

Shark videos will give you an opportunity to learn more about these fascinating creatures of the wild. These videos will educate us about this marine specie. Many of us have mistakenly believed that sharks are significantly threat to human life. The greater number of the 370 species of sharks is harmless. Sharks can eat varieties of food.

The whale and basking sharks are the biggest species on this kind which are plankton eater and not a threat to humans. In fact, many of these bigger fast swimming sharks are true meat-eating animals and an astounding different and amount of food have been found in some of these marine creatures. These various numbers of indigestible items taken from the sharks stomachs are probably the effect of the feeding frenzy that occurs when a group of sharks arbitrarily attack anything that comes their way but when sharks uses humans for food, serious conflict arises.

Acting as a scavengers as well as top carnivores, sharks are truly important in the ecology of the oceans. The reaction on shark’s attacks is often not based on facts but in emotions because shark attack on human is an exceptionally rare occurrence.

There are increasing dangers from humans that these sharks and their cartilaginous relatives, skates and rates are facing. For every person killed by a shark, over 23,000 tonnes of sharks and rays are killed through recreational and commercial fishing because we, humans target them for their meat and for their fins. They are also killed as by catch when some other species is in target. Sharks have a low reproductive capacity and are not substituting their numbers as fast as humans are killing them. More of protection of this marine creature is needed and this is one of the purposes of having shark videos. This is a continuous concern in our society, to protect these large carnivorous animals that affect our human’s population.

It gives the desire to those who were not well informed that this marine creature be slaughtered to extinction. This is the reason why many of these species are already endangered and some of them are protected. We are required to be enlightened on the value of this species, the actual and the perceived risks to humans and how best to minimize that risk and the methods and consequences of protecting threatened marine species, like sharks. It will be a great ease that globalization came because you can search and find information about you needed in the comfort of your home. If you want to learn more about the marine life and your interest might be in the largest predatory fish in the world, you can find shark videos on the Internet.

Basking sharks filmed in Cornwall, England
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Great white sharks leap out of the water in pursuit of their favorite food – seals. See all National Geographic videos: video.nationalgeographic.com

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www.change.org Gordon Ramsay from his special “Shark Bait”, he tries Shark Fin Soup in Taiwan! This is a must see clip! We donate a portion of all app sales to help saving our oceans and stoping this kind of abuse. You can help, donate here, my.seashepherd.org

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100202/ap on re as/as new zealand shark attack
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Extant shark species
Kingdom Animalia  Phylum Chordata  Subphylum Vertebrata  Class Chondrichthyes  Subclass Elasmobranchii
 
Order Hexanchiformes
Chlamydoselachidae
Chlamydoselachus
Frilled shark (C. anguineus)  Southern African frilled shark (C. africana)
Hexanchidae
(Cow sharks)
Heptranchias
Sharpnose sevengill shark (H. perlo)
Hexanchus
Bluntnose sixgill shark (H. griseus)  Bigeyed sixgill shark (H. nakamurai)
Notorynchus
Broadnose sevengill shark (N. cepedianus)
 
Order Squaliformes
Centrophoridae
(Gulper sharks)
Centrophorus
Needle dogfish (C. acus)  Dwarf gulper shark (C. atromarginatus)  Gulper shark (C. granulosus)  Dumb gulper shark (C. harrissoni)  Blackfin gulper shark (C. isodon)  Lowfin gulper shark (C. lusitanicus)  Smallfin gulper shark (C. moluccensis)  Taiwan gulper shark (C. niaukang)  Leafscale gulper shark (C. squamosus)  Mosaic gulper shark (C. tessellatus)  Little gulper shark (C. uyato)
Deania
Birdbeak dogfish (D. calcea)  Rough longnose dogfish (D. hystricosa)  Arrowhead dogfish (D. profundorum)  Longsnout dogfish (D. quadrispinosum)
Dalatiidae
Euprotomicroides
Taillight shark (E. zantedeschia)
Heteroscymnoides
Longnose pygmy shark (H. marleyi)
Mollisquama
Pocket shark (M. parini)
Dalatias
Kitefin shark (D. licha)
Isistius
Cookiecutter shark (I. brasiliensis)  South China cookiecutter shark (I. labialis)  Largetooth cookiecutter shark (I. plutodus)
Euprotomicrus
Pygmy shark (E. bispinatus)
Squaliolus
Smalleye pygmy shark (S. aliae)  Spined pygmy shark (S. laticaudus)
Echinorhinidae
Echinorhinus
Bramble shark (E. brucus)  Prickly shark (E. cookei)
Etmopteridae
Aculeola
Hooktooth dogfish (A. nigra)
Centroscyllium
Highfin dogfish (C. excelsum)  Black dogfish (C. fabricii)  Granular dogfish (C. granulatum)  Bareskin dogfish (C. kamoharai)  Combtooth dogfish (C. nigrum)  Ornate dogfish (C. ornatum)  Whitefin dogfish (C. ritteri)
Etmopterus
(Lantern sharks)
New Zealand lanternshark (E. baxteri)  Blurred lanternshark (E. bigelowi)  Shorttail lanternshark (E. brachyurus)  Lined lanternshark (E. bullisi)  E. burgessi  Cylindrical lanternshark (E. carteri)  Tailspot lanternshark (E. caudistigmus)  Combtooth lanternshark (E. decacuspidatus)  Pink lanternshark (E. dianthus)  E. dislineatus  Blackmouth lanternshark (E. evansi)  Pygmy lanternshark (E. fusus)  Broadbanded lanternshark (E. gracilispinis)  Southern lanternshark (E. granulosus)  Caribbean lanternshark (E. hillianus)  Smalleye lantern shark (E. litvinovi)  Blackbelly lanternshark (E. lucifer)  Slendertail lanternshark (E. molleri)  Dwarf lanternshark (E. perryi)  African lanternshark (E. polli)  Great lanternshark (E. princeps)  False lanternshark (E. pseudosqualiolus)  Smooth lanternshark (E. pusillus)  Dense-scale lantern shark (E. pycnolepis)  West Indian lanternshark (E. robinsi)  Fringefin lanternshark (E. schultzi)  Thorny lanternshark (E. sentosus)  Velvet belly lantern shark (E. spinax)  Splendid lanternshark (E. splendidus)  Tasmanian lanternshark (E. tasmaniensis)  Brown lanternshark (E. unicolor)  Hawaiian lanternshark (E. villosus)  Green lanternshark (E. virens)
Miroscyllium
Rasptooth dogfish (M. sheikoi)
Trigonognathus
Viper dogfish (T. kabeyai)
Oxynotidae
(Rough sharks)
Oxynotus
Prickly dogfish (O. bruniensis)  Caribbean roughshark (O. caribbaeus)  Angular roughshark (O. centrina)  Japanese roughshark (O. japonicus)  Sailfin roughshark (O. paradoxus)
Somniosidae
(Sleeper sharks)
Centroscymnus
Portuguese dogfish (C. coelolepis)  Shortnose velvet dogfish (C. cryptacanthus)  Roughskin dogfish (C. owstoni)
Centroselachus
Longnose velvet dogfish (C. crepidater)
Proscymnodon
Largespine velvet dogfish (P. macracanthus)  Plunket shark (P. plunketi)
Scymnodalatias
Whitetail dogfish (S. albicauda)  Azores dogfish (S. garricki)  Sparsetooth dogfish (S. oligodon)  Sherwood dogfish (S. sherwoodi)
Scymnodon
Smallmouth velvet dogfish (S. obscurus)  Knifetooth dogfish (S. ringens)
Somniosus
Greenland shark (S. microcephalus)  Pacific sleeper shark (S. pacificus)  Little sleeper shark (S. rostratus)
Zameus
Japanese velvet dogfish (Z. ichiharai)  Velvet dogfish (Z. squamulosus)
Squalidae
(Dogfish sharks)
Cirrhigaleus
Roughskin spurdog (C. asper)  Mandarin dogfish (C. barbifer)
Squalus
(Spurdogs)
Spiny dogfish (S. acanthias)  Eastern highfin spurdog (S. albifrons)  S. acutirostris  Western highfin spurdog (S. altipinnis)  Longnose spurdog (S. blainville)  Fatspine spurdog (S. crassispinus)  Cuban dogfish (S. cubensis)  Eastern longnose spurdog (S. grahami)  Japanese spurdog (S. japonicus)  Shortnose spurdog (S. megalops)  Blacktailed spurdog (S. melanurus)  Shortspine spurdog (S. mitsukurii)  Bartail spurdog (S. notocaudatus)  Western longnose spurdog (S. nasutus)  Cyrano spurdog (S. rancureli)
 
Order Pristiophoriformes (Sawsharks)
Pristiophoridae
Pliotrema
Sixgill sawshark (P. warreni)
Pristiophorus
Longnose sawshark (P. cirratus)  Tropical sawshark (P. delicatus)  Japanese sawshark (P. japonicus)  Shortnose sawshark (P. nudipinnis)  Bahamas sawshark (P. schroederi)  Eastern Australian sawshark (Pristiophorus peroniensis)  Philippine sawshark (Pristiophorus sp. C)  Dwarf sawshark (Pristiophorus sp. D)
 
Order Squatiniformes (Angel sharks)
Squatinidae
Squatina
Sawback angelshark (S. aculeata)  African angelshark (S. africana)  Eastern Australian angelshark (Squatina albipunctata)  Argentine angelshark (S. argentina)  Chilean angelshark (S. armata)  Australian angelshark (S. australis)  Pacific angelshark (S. californica)  Sand devil (S. dumeril)  Taiwan angelshark (S. formosa)  Angular angel shark (S. guggenheim)  S. heteroptera  Japanese angelshark (S. japonica)  Indonesian angelshark (S. legnota)  Cortez angelshark (S. mexicana)  Clouded angelshark (S. nebulosa)  Smoothback angelshark (S. oculata)  S. punctata  Western Australian angelshark (Squatina pseudocellata)  Angelshark (S. squatina)  Ornate angelshark (S. tergocellata)  Ocellated angelshark (S. tergocellatoides)
 
Order Heterodontiformes (Bullhead sharks)
Heterodontidae
Heterodontus
Horn shark (H. francisci)  Crested bullhead shark (H. galeatus)  Japanese bullhead shark (H. japonicus)  Mexican hornshark (H. mexicanus)  Oman bullhead shark (H. omanensis)  Port Jackson shark (H. portusjacksoni)  Galapagos bullhead shark (H. quoyi)  Whitespotted bullhead shark (H. ramalheira)  Zebra bullhead shark (H. zebra)
 
Order Orectolobiformes (Carpet sharks)
Brachaeluridae
Brachaelurus
Blind shark (B. waddi)
Heteroscyllium
Bluegrey carpetshark (H. colcloughi)
Ginglymostomatidae
(Nurse sharks)
Ginglymostoma
Nurse shark (G. cirratum)
Nebrius
Tawny nurse shark (N. ferrugineus)
Pseudoginglymostoma
Short-tail nurse shark (P. brevicaudatum)
Hemiscylliidae
(Bamboo sharks)
Chiloscyllium
Arabian carpetshark (C. arabicum)  Burmese bamboo shark (C. burmensis)  Bluespotted bamboo shark (C. caerulopunctatum)  Grey bamboo shark (C. griseum)  Hasselt’s bamboo shark (C. hasseltii)  Slender bamboo shark (C. indicum)  Whitespotted bamboo shark (C. plagiosum)  Brownbanded bamboo shark (C. punctatum)
Hemiscyllium
Indonesian speckled carpetshark (H. freycineti)  H. galei  Papuan epaulette shark (H. hallstromi)  H. henryi  Epaulette shark (H. ocellatum)  Hooded carpetshark (H. strahani)  Speckled carpetshark (H. trispeculare)
Orectolobidae
(Wobbegongs)
Eucrossorhinus
Tasselled wobbegong (E. dasypogon)
Orectolobus
Floral banded wobbegong (O. floridus)  Banded wobbegong (O. halei)  Western wobbegong (O. hutchinsi)  Japanese wobbegong (O. japonicus)  Spotted wobbegong (O. maculatus)  Ornate wobbegong (O. ornatus)  Dwarf spotted wobbegong (O. parvimaculatus)  Network wobbegong (O. reticulatus)  Northern wobbegong (O. wardi)
Sutorectus
Cobbler wobbegong (S. tentaculatus)
Parascylliidae
(Collared carpet sharks)
Cirrhoscyllium
Barbelthroat carpetshark (C. expolitum)  Taiwan saddled carpetshark (C. formosanum)  Saddle carpetshark (C. japonicum)
Parascyllium
Collared carpetshark (P. collare)  Rusty carpetshark (P. ferrugineum)  Ginger carpetshark (P. sparsimaculatum)  Necklace carpetshark (P. variolatum)
Rhincodontidae
Rhincodon
Whale shark (R. typus)
Stegostomatidae
Stegostoma
Zebra shark (S. fasciatum)
 
Order Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Hemigaleidae
(Weasel sharks)
Hemipristis
Snaggletooth shark (H. elongata)
Chaenogaleus
Hooktooth shark (C. macrostoma)
Hemigaleus
Australian weasel shark (H. australiensis)  Sicklefin weasel shark (H. microstoma)
Paragaleus
Whitetip weasel shark (P. leucolomatus)  Atlantic weasel shark (P. pectoralis)  Slender weasel shark (P. randalli)  Straight-tooth weasel shark (P. tengi)
Leptochariidae
Leptocharias
Barbeled houndshark (L. smithii)
Proscylliidae
(Finback sharks)
Ctenacis
Harlequin catshark (C. fehlmanni)
Eridacnis
Cuban ribbontail catshark (E. barbouri)  Pygmy ribbontail catshark (E. radcliffei)  African ribbontail catshark (E. sinuans)
Proscyllium
Graceful catshark (P. habereri)  P. venustum
Pseudotriakidae
Gollum
Slender smooth-hound (G. attenuatus)
Pseudotriakis
False catshark (P. microdon)
Sphyrnidae
(Hammerhead sharks)
Eusphyra
Winghead shark (E. blochii)
Sphyrna
Scalloped bonnethead (S. corona)  Whitefin hammerhead (S. couardi)  Scalloped hammerhead (S. lewini)  Scoophead (S. media)  Great hammerhead (S. mokarran)  Bonnethead (S. tiburo)  Smalleye hammerhead (S. tudes)  Smooth hammerhead (S. zygaena)
Triakidae
(Houndsharks)
Furgaleus
Whiskery shark (F. macki)
Galeorhinus
School shark (G. galeus)
Gogolia
Sailback houndshark (G. filewoodi)
Hemitriakis
Deepwater sicklefin hound shark (H. abdita)  Sicklefin hound shark (H. falcata)  Japanese topeshark (H. japanica)  Whitefin topeshark (H. leucoperiptera)  Ocelate topeshark (Hemitriakis Sp.A)
Hypogaleus
Blacktip tope (H. hyugaensis)
Iago
Longnose houndshark (I. garricki)  Bigeye houndshark (I. omanensis)  Lowfin houndshark (Iago Sp.A)
Mustelus
(Smooth-hounds)
M. albipinnis  Gummy shark (M. antarcticus)  Starry smooth-hound (M. asterias)  Grey smooth-hound (M. californicus)  Dusky smooth-hound (M. canis)  Sharptooth smooth-hound (M. dorsalis)  Striped smooth-hound (M. fasciatus)  Spotless smooth-hound (M. griseus)  Brown smooth-hound (M. henlei)  Smalleye smooth-hound (M. higmani)  Spotted estuary smooth-hound (M. lenticulatus)  Sicklefin smooth-hound (M. lunulatus)  Starspotted smooth-hound (M. manazo)  Speckled smooth-hound (M. mento)  M. minicanis  Arabian smooth-hound (M. mosis)  Common smooth-hound (M. mustelus)  Narrowfin smooth-hound (M. norrisi)  Whitespotted smooth-hound (M. palumbes)  Blackspotted smooth-hound (M. punctulatus)  M. ravidus  Narrownose smooth-hound (M. schmitti)  Gulf smoothhound (M. sinusmexicanus)  Humpback smooth-hound (M. whitneyi)  M. widodoi
Scylliogaleus
Flapnose houndshark (S. quecketti)
Triakis
Sharpfin houndshark (T. acutipinna)  Spotted houndshark (T. maculata)  Sharptooth houndshark (T. megalopterus)  Banded houndshark (T. scyllium)  Leopard shark (T. semifasciata)
Carcharhinidae
Large family listed below
Scyliorhinidae
Large family listed below
 
Family Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Carcharhinus
Blacknose shark (C. acronotus)  Silvertip shark (C. albimarginatus)  Bignose shark (C. altimus)  Graceful shark (C. amblyrhynchoides)  Grey reef shark (C. amblyrhynchos)  Pigeye shark (C. amboinensis)  Borneo shark (C. borneensis)  Copper shark (C. brachyurus)  Spinner shark (C. brevipinna)  Nervous shark (C. cautus)  Whitecheek shark (C. dussumieri)  Silky shark (C. falciformis)  Creek whaler (C. fitzroyensis)  Galapagos shark (C. galapagenisis)  Pondicherry shark (C. hemiodon)  Finetooth shark (C. isodon)  Smooth tooth blacktip shark (C. leiodon)  Bull shark (C. leucas)  Blacktip shark (C. limbatus)  Oceanic whitetip shark (C. longimanus)  Hardnose shark (C. macloti)  Blacktip reef shark (C. melanopterus)  Dusky shark (C. obscurus)  Caribbean reef shark (C. perezii)  Sandbar shark (C. plumbeus)  Smalltail shark (C. porosus)  Blackspot shark (C. sealei)  Night shark (C. signatus)  Spottail shark (C. sorrah)  Australian blacktip shark (C. tilstoni)
Galeocerdo
Tiger shark (G. cuvier)
Glyphis
(River sharks)
Ganges shark (G. gangeticus)  Northern river shark (G. garricki)  Speartooth shark (G. glyphis)  Irrawaddy river shark (G. siamensis)  Borneo river shark (Glyphis sp. B)
Isogomphodon
Daggernose shark (I. oxyrhynchus)
Lamiopsis
Broadfin shark (L. temminckii)
Loxodon
Sliteye shark (L. macrorhinus)
Nasolamia
Whitenose shark (N. velox)
Negaprion
Sicklefin lemon shark (N. acutidens)  Lemon shark (N. brevirostris)
Prionace
Blue shark (P. glauca)
Rhizoprionodon
Milk shark (R. acutus)  Brazilian sharpnose shark (R. lalandii)  Pacific sharpnose shark (R. longurio)  Grey sharpnose shark (R. oligolinx)  Caribbean sharpnose shark (R. porosus)  Australian sharpnose shark (R. taylori)  Atlantic sharpnose shark (R. terraenovae)
Scoliodon
Spadenose shark (S. laticaudus)
Triaenodon
Whitetip reef shark (T. obesus)
 
Family Scyliorhinidae (Catsharks)
Apristurus
Flatnose cat shark (A. acanutus)  A. albisoma  A. aphyodes  Atlantic ghost catshark (A. atlanticus)  Brown catshark (A. brunneus)  Hoary catshark (A. canutus)  Flaccid catshark (A. exsanguis)  A. fedorovi  Humpback cat shark (A. gibbosus)  Longfin catshark (A. herklotsi)  Smallbelly catshark (A. indicus)  A. internatus  Broadnose catshark (A. investigatoris)  Japanese catshark (A. japonicus)  Longnose catshark (A. kampae)  Iceland catshark (A. laurussonii)  Longhead catshark (A. longicephalus)  Flathead catshark (A. macrorhynchus)  Broadmouth cat shark (A. macrostomus)  Ghost catshark (A. manis)  Black roughscale catshark (A. melanoasper)  Smalleye catshark (A. microps)  Smalldorsal cat shark (A. micropterygeus)  Largenose catshark (A. nasutus)  Smallfin catshark (A. parvipinnis)  A. pinguis  Spatulasnout catshark (A. platyrhynchus)  Deepwater catshark (A. profundorum)  Broadgill catshark (A. riveri)  Saldanha catshark (A. saldanha)  Pale catshark (A. sibogae)  South China catshark (A. sinensis)  Spongehead catshark (A. spongiceps)  Panama ghost catshark (A. stenseni)
Asymbolus
Australian spotted catshark (A. analis)  A. funebris  Western spotted catshark (A. occiduus)  Pale spotted catshark (A. pallidus)  A. parvus  A. rubiginosus  Variegated catshark (A. submaculatus)  Gulf catshark (A. vincenti)
Atelomycterus
A. baliensis  Banded sand catshark (A. fasciatus)  Australian marbled catshark (A. macleayi)  Coral catshark (A. marmoratus)
Aulohalaelurus
New Caledonia catshark (A. kanakorum)  Australian blackspotted catshark (A. labiosus)
Cephaloscyllium
Whitefin swellshark (C. albipinnum)  Circle-blotch pygmy swellshark (C. circulopullum)  Cook’s swellshark (C. cooki)  Reticulated swellshark (C. fasciatum)  Australian reticulate swellshark (C. hicosellum)  Draughtsboard shark (C. isabellum)  Australian swellshark (C. laticeps)  Spotted swellshark (C. maculatum)  Leopard-spotted swellshark (C. pardelotum)  Painted swellshark (C. pictum)  Sarawak pygmy swellshark (C. sarawakensis)  Flagtail swellshark (C. signourum)  Indian swellshark (C. silasi)  Speckled swellshark (C. speccum)  Balloon shark (C. sufflans)  Blotchy swellshark (C. umbratile)  Saddled swellshark (C. variegatum)  Swellshark (C. ventriosum)  Narrowbar swellshark (C. zebrum)
Cephalurus
Lollipop catshark (C. cephalus)
Figaro
Australian sawtail catshark (F. boardmani)  Northern sawtail catshark (F. striatus)
Galeus
Antilles catshark (G. antillensis)  Roughtail catshark (G. arae)  Atlantic sawtail cat shark (G. atlanticus)  Longfin sawtail cat shark (G. cadenati)  Gecko catshark (G. eastmani)  Slender sawtail catshark (G. gracilis)  Longnose sawtail cat shark (G. longirostris)  Blackmouth catshark (G. melastomus)  Southern sawtail catshark (G. mincaronei)  Mouse catshark (G. murinus)  Broadfin sawtail catshark (G. nipponensis)  Peppered catshark (G. piperatus)  African sawtail catshark (G. polli)  G. priapus  Blacktip sawtail catshark (G. sauteri)  Dwarf sawtail catshark (G. schultzi)  Springer’s sawtail cat shark (G. springeri)
Halaelurus
Arabian catshark (H. alcockii)  Speckled catshark (H. boesemani)  Blackspotted catshark (H. buergeri)  Dusky catshark (H. canescens)  Broadhead cat shark (H. clevai)  New Zealand catshark (H. dawsoni)  Bristly catshark (H. hispidus)  Spotless catshark (H. immaculatus)  Lined catshark (H. lineatus)  Mud catshark (H. lutarius)  Tiger catshark (H. natalensis)  Quagga catshark (H. quagga)
Haploblepharus
Puffadder shyshark (H. edwardsii)  Brown shyshark (H. fuscus)  Natal shyshark (H. kistnasamyi)  Dark shyshark (H. pictus)
Holohalaelurus
H. favus  H. grennian  Crying izak (H. melanostigma)  African spotted catshark (H. punctatus)  Izak catshark (H. regani)
Parmaturus
White-tip catshark (P. albimarginatus)  White-clasper catshark (P. albipenis)  Beige catshark (P. bigus)  Campeche catshark (P. campechiensis)  Velvet catshark (P. lanatus)  McMillan’s catshark (P. macmillani)  Blackgill catshark (P. melanobranchus)  Salamander shark (P. pilosus)  Filetail catshark (P. xaniurus)  Shorttail catshark (Parmaturus sp. A)
Pentanchus
Onefin catshark (P. profundicolus)
Poroderma
Pyjama catshark (P. africanum)  Leopard catshark (P. pantherinum)
Schroederichthys
Narrowmout

For centuries, and even in several countries nowadays, sharks are considered as useless fish so shark finning was or still is not considered to be a big issue for them. The truth of the matter is that such cruelty is responsible for endangering species, being a good example of animal cruelty and affects the natural equilibrium of the ecological system. And these are only some of the problems related to sharks.

Did you know that while about 56 people’s lives are taken during shark attacks on a yearly basis, during the same period; 100 million sharks are killed in the name of shark fin soup? While the tragedies endured by families and the horror of the shark attack on the victim are horrible and you pray that nobody ever go through such a horrific ordeal, humans tend to forget the cruelty they force on these predators themselves. In fact, while most shark attacks are due to confusion with preys such as seals, the finning and fishing of sharks are far from being caused by confusion.

In fact, they hunt them on purpose.

What is shark finning? Well, to be honest, if it involved using the whole carcass of a shark by simply cutting it out so most body parts could be commercially used, that would be one thing but the matter of a fact, it is much worst. You see, while finning techniques vary according to the regulations imposed by various countries. While Australia, United States of America, New Zealand and Mexico are banning shark finning, most other countries permitted either by imposing a series of regulations or not regulating it at all in which case the fate of the poor animal is worst then sudden death.

In countries such as in Indonesia, no regulations affect shark finning and fishing, which will allow fishermen to use a wasteful practice of shark finning by allowing them to catch a shark, fin it while it is still alive than throw its finless body overboard, sometimes even tying a heavy load of coral to ensure that it will sink not to be seen.

Then, the poor animal tries to swim in vain, eventually drowning, bleed to death or being attacked by other predators. In either case, sudden death would have been a blessing to them compared to that unspeakable suffering and dragging waiting period that has no hope to offer the poor victim.

In other countries such as South Africa, shark fins must be attached to the carcasses. In Brazil, shark fins and carcasses may be landed separately but the shark fins may not exceed 5% of the whole body weight.

Another problem of shark finning is that it is not selective, which is responsible for endangering shark species such as the great white and is gradually affecting the main species targeted for finning, which are: the longfin mako, the shortfin mako, the porbeagle, the dusky, the silky and the blue sharks.

While DNA samples can be used to identify most species victim of finning, even if they were directly taken from the bowl of a shark fin soup, this process is very expensive and seldom practiced as a result of this factor.

Several countries will ask brides and grooms not to serve shark fin soup at their wedding and will even provide their guests with written facts on finning to explain the absence of this culinary delicacy on their menu. The same is done for business dinners as serving shark fin soup is a sign of affluence and sophistication. It is comparable to the use of caviar by their Western neighbors.

Why was shark finning used in several Eastern Asian countries? Well, the major cause of its use then and nowadays is mainly: profit. You see, each pound of shark meat can earn from pennies to a few dollars to fishermen, while shark fins can be worth as much as 0 a pound. And for restaurants serving this culinary delicacy, which is not only available at wedding and important business dinners but also to the public, their patrons will pay as much as 0 a bowl. Now you do the math!

Now that cartilage is also in demand, not only for shark fin soup but also for cartilage pills which supposedly has the power of healing cancer, which has not been proven yet, you understand that the demand for shark finning is rising even more.

Let’s help protect shark species and their future as it becomes more precarious everyday. After all, by finning sharks, their future is affected in another way. You see, sharks have a low reproductive level. If you take the sandbar sharks, they do not become mature before 13 years old and they deliver a litter of 10 pups every year. The sand tigers will reach their maturity at 12 years old and produce a litter of twins only every other year. And dusky sharks reach their maturity between 20 and 25 years old and produce small litters every 3 years.
As you can see, these poor animals cannot meet both the demand of shark fins and the survival of their specie.

This is why I think people must help sharks by protecting them and banning shark finning much like Mexico and New Zealand did recently. Let’s say no to finning by refusing to eat shark fin soup, traditions or no traditions, their survival is at stake and with that, the balance of their ecological system.

Fossil Shark Tooth Diving Identification Guide
The Black Water River Scuba Diver’s guide to Identification of Fossil Shark Teeth, Fossils and Early Man Spear Points. Guide is a 39 page downloadable, printable PDF booklet. The text is packed with information and color images.
Fossil Shark Tooth Diving Identification Guide