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Auditory

Sharks have excellent hearing, although it’s limited to low-pitched sounds. Sharks are able to hear sounds from miles away, listening especially to sounds coming from injured preys.

Gustatory

Many sharks depend on their sense of taste to know if they’re eating the right thing. Sharks usually bite once first, and then the sensory receptors from the taste buds (in the mouth) evaluate the ‘meal.’ If the taste doesn’t suit the shark’s diet preference, it rejects they prey. This explains why records of shark attacks show that most sharks bite a human’s flesh first, hangs on for a while, and then lets go.

Other Special Senses

Aside from the above mentioned ‘familiar’ senses, sharks have other sense organs that play important roles in hunting for its prey. One of these is the ampulla of Lorenzini. This sense organ has clusters of receptor cells that are especially sensitive to electrical fields. In the shark’s head, these receptor cells are connected to a large number of pores that lead to a complex system of tubes. Through this sense organ, sharks are able to detect even the smallest electrical field that living organisms generate.

Another extraordinary sense organ of the shark is the lateral line. This is a sensory system of fluid-filled canals that runs down both sides of the shark’s body—from the head up to its tail. This can detect the lowest-pitched sounds, and even water movement.

All of the shark’s senses: olfactory, auditory, visual, gustatory, and other special senses, work together to successfully locate its prey. Indeed, a shark’s intricate sensory system is what makes them great predators.

Some say that the animal’s intelligence is based on the size of the brain it has. Does this mean that if you have a bigger size of head, you got more brains than anybody who has unfortunately smaller head?

We have to recognize, that intelligence varies to some extent of degrees. With us humans, we use different scales to measure our intelligence. This is somehow quite difficult with other animals, since they cannot freely express like we do. But some amount of identifiable indicators, intelligence in highly advanced mammals like sharks can be measured with state-of-the-art instruments that are used in experimental researches by marine scientists.

Shark Intelligence

Sharks fascinate humans in so many ways. One awesome characteristic of the shark is their unmatched skills that maintain their position on the highest echelon of predators. Their reputation of being the most feared among the ocean’s inhabitants place them categorically in supreme power over its prey.

Explorers around the globe have recorded events that show unmatched intelligence of sharks compared with other living mammal. It has been further observed that sharks use strategies in getting their food that no other fish is capable of. An experiment made to a shark in captivity confirmed that the shark can distinguish colors and shapes in targeting its food.

Furthermore, it has been observed that sharks in the open waters are equally at par with sharks in captivity in terms of their intelligence.

Have you every thought of why sharks are such efficient in hunting for its prey? One of the primary reasons is their highly coordinated sensory system. It was even thought before that sharks relied mainly on their sense of smell to hunt prey, and that’s why sharks were called ‘swimming noses.’ To verify this, researchers tried to plug the shark’s nasal openings. They found out that sharks had trouble looking for their prey. However, with further research, it was discovered that sharks in fact have keen senses that all work together to enable them in successfully competing for prey.

Olfactory

Perhaps one of the most notable features of a shark is its nose. Through the nostrils, which are located on the snout (along the sides), water enters the nasal passage. Then, it touches the sensory cells, which contain receptors for smell. These cells are capable of detecting even the smallest drop of blood in water, even from miles away!

Furthermore, sharks have a directional sense of smell, which means that they are able to locate where a smell is coming from. For instance, if the smell comes from the right, it will first enter the right nasal cavity, after which it immediately enters the left nasal cavity. This way, sharks are able to figure out the location of the prey.

Visual

Sharks’ eyes are highly sensitive; they can see extremely well in dim light. They also have a crude form of color vision, but they don’t see details clearly. Their field of view is fairly wide, except in some sharks (especially the hammerhead shark), whose eyes are positioned on the sides of the head.

The thing about sharks is that they don’t have a great vision, but their olfactory skill (sense of smell) is extremely acute and well-developed. So, if you’re bleeding from an open wound, or if you’re menstruating, avoid the water.

Another important reminder is to avoid areas where sharks are most likely to hang-out, such as deep channels, areas between sandbars, murky waters, and steep drop-offs. Remember to always swim in groups, because sharks will most likely to attack you if you’re alone and isolated.

Since sharks have a great vision for contrast, don’t wear shiny jewelry or bright clothing when you swim. Otherwise, you’ll attract the shark and you’ll be deliberately putting yourself in danger. Also, refrain from erratic swimming and excessive splashing, and keep your pets out of the water. Be observant; if you see school of fishes acting differently, leave the water.

Also, try to stay as close to the shore as possible, so that you can easily get help if you need one. Furthermore, avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, or at night hours when sharks are most active. If you see a shark, leave the water calmly.

Even if your risk of dying from a shark attack is low, it’s always best to take precautions; most especially if you’re exploring the underwater world. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Sharks, due to their large size and frightening appearance, seem to be extremely harmful creatures. What most people don’t know is that 80% of shark species are actually harmless, and only the remaining 20% are considered really dangerous. The most dangerous sharks known to attack humans are the tiger, great white, and bull sharks. These live in cooler, and deeper parts of the ocean, so you won’t typically see them wandering off in public beaches.

Sharks are most ‘eager’ to feed on fish, crabs, and turtles, so why do they still bite and attack humans? Are they really fearsome creatures that kill humans on purpose? The answer is no. Although shark attacks can be terrifying and can bring serious damage to a victim, it’s important to keep in mind that sharks are not evil human-killing creatures. Humans don’t even have enough high-fat content that sharks need as an energy source for their enormous bodies.

If humans are not what sharks really want for food, why are there still shark attacks that occur? We can answer this by examining the pattern by which most sharks attack their victims. Records say that the shark usually sinks its teeth into the victim’s flesh, holds on for a while, and then lets go. Most shark attacks occur because a shark mistakenly identifies a human as its usual food. Once the shark tastes a victim’s flesh, it then realizes that it isn’t what it usually eats, and so it lets go.

Fatal shark bites are rare, and your risk of getting attacked by a shark is low. However, it’s still important to recognize the fact that these incidents happen, and that risks should be minimized as much as possible. Besides, once you decide to go deep into the underwater world, who knows what can actually happen? Here are some guidelines to avoid shark attacks.

River sharks, such as the Ganges shark (scientific name: Glyphis gangeticu) and Speartooth Shark (SN: Glyphis glyphis), are chiefly found in Asia and Australia. The Ganges shark is found in portions of India, as well as in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Speartooth shark is largely found in New Guinea, Borneo, and in Queensland.

Another species of river sharks is the Irrawaddy river shark (SN: Glyphis siamensis).This river shark species is largely found in areas bordering Rangoon, in Myanmar or Burma. Before, the entire species of Irrawaddy river sharks was regarded as a diverse group of freshwater bull sharks. Now, it’s recognized as an entirely separate species belonging to river sharks.

Four more possible species of river sharks are currently being studied, two of which have been captured in Alligator and Adelaide River in the northern part of Australia. These rivers were known to have no in borne river shark inhabitants.

In addition, there have been collections of young river sharks from fresh water, which could signify that these river sharks have a reproductive capacity in fresh water. Likewise, these specimens have never been found in marine water. All these support the idea that river sharks may be called as authentic freshwater sharks.

Since these river sharks are deemed to be endangered already, it’s important to properly care for them. Sooner or later, with more scientific studies, river sharks may prove to be authentic freshwater sharks.

Sharks are known to be one of the most amazing creatures found in a highly diverse marine life. However, there have been questions regarding the possible existence of authentic freshwater sharks. It’s true that there are sharks living in fresh water. What most people don’t know is that these species are in fact marine sharks. These marine sharks have the ability to wander off into freshwater bodies and spend the entirety of their lives there. One example of a marine shark that can live in fresh water is the bull shark. Oftentimes, they enter rivers that empty into the sea. For instance, bull sharks have been captured over 4,200 kilometers up in the Amazon River in Brazil. Bull sharks are also found in the Ganges River in India, Mississipi River in the United States, Lake Nicaragua, and In Lake Jamor in Indonesia. It’s no doubt that bull sharks are capable of living in freshwater bodies, and so, are often called as true freshwater sharks—which shouldn’t be the case. There have been studies showing that even if bull sharks can stay in fresh water for prolonged periods, they cannot breed; bull sharks have to go back to the ocean to reproduce. This is why a bull shark can’t be regarded as a true freshwater fish, unless it’s able to breed in fresh water. However, there are sharks that live their entire life in fresh water, and also do not need to migrate up into the ocean to breed. These are the river sharks. River shark is the common name for a species of sharks belonging to the genus Glyphis, which are sometimes mistaken as whaler sharks or Carcharinus, due to their physical similarities. The species of Glyphis that have already been identified are very rare, because they were earlier misidentified as bull sharks.