Random Fascinating Facts About Sharks That Most People Don't Know (15 items)

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  (#2) Female Sharks Fertilize Eggs Without A Male

  Most species require both a male and a female to create life, but sharks are not like most species. Thanks to a phenomenon known as parthenogenesis, female sharks can breed once and store the collected sperm until a later date for self-reproduction. Female sharks do this for protection during the mating season because males are especially ferocious when it comes to mating, as they tend to bite and injure females while participating in courtship rituals. 
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  (#7) You Are More Likely To Be Taken Out By A Coconut Than A Shark

  While you may be afraid of swimming in the ocean because of sharks, the truth is sharks are less lethal than you think. Research even shows that sharks honestly don't like the taste of human flesh, but attack out of confusion (you may resemble a seal). In fact, you're more likely to be injured or ended by a falling coconut or a mosquito than by a shark!

  What's even more odd is that you're more likely to be injured or ended by a toilet-related accident than by a shark. Reports from 1996 show that over 43,000 Americans were injured in a toilet-related incident within that year, while shark injuries involved a mere 13 human-related incidents. Shark-related deaths are low, only averaging about 10 a year, which is less than one a month. 
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  (#1) Some Sharks Can Walk On Land

  Four new species of walking sharks were discovered in northern Australia and New Guinea in January 2020. Scientists from several research institutions spent 12 years studying walking sharks before announcing the new species. According to Mark Erdmann of Conservation International, the "bottom-dwelling sharks actually walk using their pectoral and pelvic fins" rather than swim, which allows them to "poke their heads under coral and rocks as they look for small fish, snails, and crustaceans to eat." 

  The walking sharks evolved just 12 million years ago, and are therefore the youngest shark species known to man. In 2016, scientists reported nine species of walking sharks. The four new species were found in what's called "Bird's Head Seascape," where they may have "hitched a ride on a drifting island." Apparently, the small, patterned animals cannot move across deep waters because they are unable to swim, so the only way for them to travel to distant locations is for their reefs to move. 

  Though they live on the ocean floor, walking sharks can in fact walk on dry land. They are not a threat to anyone other than "small crustaceans and mollusks." 
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  (#6) Sharks Can Regrow Their Teeth

  Sharks are known for their powerful jaws and rows of razor sharp teeth. The great white has over 300 teeth in their mouths at one time, with some laying beneath the gum line waiting to push to the surface and replace any teeth that will fall out.

  Shark teeth are not attached to the gum line with a root, which allows them to grow and replace any lost teeth daily. In addition to their crazy dental disposition, sharks can also dislocate their upper jaws (and put them back in place) to widen their bite. 
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  (#11) Some Sharks Can Heat Up Their Eyeballs To See Better

  Most sharks are cold-blooded in biology, but there are some sharks, such as makos and great whites (classified as Laminids) that have the ability to generate their own heat. This helps them maintain their body temperature as the ocean temperature changed. In addition, Laminids can also use this ability to heat up their brains and eyeballs to improve vision. 
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  (#5) A Shark's Line Of Sight Is Almost 360 Degrees

  Sharks have extremely strong vision. In fact, a shark can see ten times better than a human, as far as over 100 feet away. Sharks have panoramic viewing capabilities and usually have three minor blind spots that limit their visual perception. Most are blind to whatever is directly in front of their nose, so sharks swing their heads back and forth as they swim in an effort to eliminate that blind spot.

  Sharks can also effectively change their field of vision from stereoscopic (three dimensional viewing) to monocular (one eye viewing), which sacrifices perception for quality of vision. 

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