The oldest Greenland shark was found to had lived for nearly 400 years. The sampling was done using the pulse of carbon-14. The Greenland shark grows slowly. ¹⁾

In 1553, French naturalist Pierre Belon published the first comparative study of sharks. In addition to a drawing of a hammerhead shark, it included an illustration of a shark, which he named Canis Carcharias. At the time, it was common practice to choose descriptive names based on physical characteristics rather than classification. ²⁾

Sharks were commonly referred to as “sea dogs” - hence the Latin canis, while the second part of the name comes from the Greek “Carcharias” (to sharpen). The term “sea belt” (sea dog) is still used in Croatian today. The word “sharke” was popularized by sailor Sir John Hawkins, who brought and exhibited the first specimen in London, in 1569. ³⁾

The English word shark comes probably from the German word “schurke” which means “rogue”. ⁴⁾

The rarest in the world is, discovered in 1976, a shark called megamouth. It is huge. The megamouths are thought to grow to 17 feet long and stay most of the time in the depths of the ocean, swimming out only at night. ⁵⁾

The fastest swimming shark is a shortfin mako, a cheetah in the underwater world. It reaches speeds of 45 miles per hour. Its streamlined body helps minimize water resistance. Another useful biological adaptation of the mako is its ability to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding water, so it can channel energy more efficiently into its muscles to achieve higher speeds. Besides, it can leap above the water's surface. ⁶⁾

Science films about sharks are often recorded without the use of a protective cage. They posed no threat to humans at the time. ⁷⁾

The highest number of shark attacks on humans has been reported in the United States. However, the most fatalities have occurred in Australia. ⁸⁾

To date, humans have managed to classify more than 500 species of sharks. ⁹⁾

The record shark was at a depth of 2.29 miles. ¹⁰⁾

Hollywood has popularized the image of a shark sticking its head above the water while hunting. In reality, one species does this, which is the man-eating shark. ¹¹⁾

Megalodon is an extinct species of shark that lived 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago. The largest individuals reached lengths of up to 18 meters. ¹²⁾

A new tooth grows in place of the lost tooth. Depending on the species, a shark can lose up to 30,000 teeth during its lifetime. ¹³⁾

Some shark species have the ability to fall into apparent death. ¹⁴⁾

In clear water, sharks can see 10 times better than humans. ¹⁵⁾

About 50 different species of sharks glow in the dark. ¹⁶⁾

Scientists have determined that sharks can be introverts or extroverts. ¹⁷⁾