How Do Sharks Protect Themselves?
Sharks Do Have Enemies
Sharks are often thought of as ferocious creatures of the sea. They are the "bad guys" in some movies. The great white shark has been known to kill people, and sharks are the enemies to many fish and animals living in the ocean. The killer whale can swallow a whole shark. If a pod of dolphins feel threatened by a shark, they will attack the shark by ramming their hard and pointed heads into a shark's soft underbody or into the shark's gills. A swordfish injures sharks with its sharp bill. A shark also has to worry about the octopus, sea snakes, sea lions, the great squid and porcupine fish. Sharks can even be enemies to other sharks. Many species of sharks will eat smaller sharks. Humans are also a threat to sharks. People hunt and kill millions of sharks each year, as many people around the world eat shark. A shark's skin is valuable and is used for leather. Other parts of the shark are used in medicine.
How Sharks Protect Themselves
A shark has many ways to protect itself. The shark's body is streamlined to swim quickly through the ocean and away from predators. It can swim about 22 miles per hour, and even faster in short bursts. Some sharks are bottom dwellers--they spend a lot of time at the bottom of the ocean--and they are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. These sharks will lie quietly, unnoticed, until their prey comes along, then suddenly snatch their unsuspecting prey. A shark has scales on its body called denticles, which are like tiny teeth embedded in the shark's skin. Denticles can injure a fish if it rubs against the shark the wrong way. Perhaps what a shark is most known for is its teeth. Sharks have several rows of teeth, and can have up to 3,000 teeth at a time. A shark has so many teeth because of the way it eats. It bites and jerks its prey around so violently, that the shark loses many teeth in the process. When a shark loses a tooth, a new one grows in its place.
A Shark Uses Its Senses
Sharks use their different senses for protection. They have tiny holes all over their heads called the ampullae of Lorenzini. These are nerve receptors that sense electricity in the water. Animals give off electrical currents when they move, which sharks can sense.
A shark also has an acute sense of smell; it can smell blood several miles away. Another sense a shark uses is called a lateral line. All fish have this sense, which is the ability to detect vibrations in the water.
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