Facts about sharks
- Sharks have been around for more than 400 million years
- There are 375 shark species
- Sharks are intelligent and can be trained
- 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins
- The largest shark is the Whale shark, averaging 9 metres (30 feet) in length—the size of a large bus
- Whale sharks are not aggressive. They eat zooplankton, small fish and squid.
- When a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place
- Mako and Blue sharks are the fastest swimming sharks
- Sharks can take hours or even days to die after being finned
- Sharks are a critical part of marine ecosystems