Facts that will change your view about sharks

Due to movies like Jaws, people now only consider sharks as harbinger of death in oceans. While this true for White sharks but majority of shark species are harmless to humans and have rarely attacked them unless these sharks are provoked. Some of the amazing facts about sharks are as follows.

Most sharks are bottom feeders:-

People only consider sharks as hungry creatures that are hell bent on eating everything in ocean and especially if they are human. However humans are not their natural prey and 400 confirm species of shark feed on small fishes.

Another amazing fact about their eating habit is that most sharks are bottom feeders. These sharks feed on school of small fishes present in the deep parts of oceans.

Sharks do stop swimming:-

We have been misled that if shark stop swimming they might die. However the fact is that some species of shark depending upon their respiration system can actually stop swimming in water. These sharks use a method called Buccal Pumping in which they force water through their mouth by their powerful mouth muscle movements and breathe.

Shark attacks are only over hyped:-

Researchers have made probability analysis that actual odds of a shark attack are roughly around 1 in 11.5 million. The odds are so baffling that you have much higher chance of getting killed by a lightening than there is from a shark attack. The reason people are saying that there are more shark attack is because that there are now more than ever people going on beaches.

Environmental drought conditions are altering the sea water. Salt water of the sea is getting mixed with fresh water more and more and hence sharks move closer to shores which result in shark attacks.

Orca is more dangerous than sharks:-

People under the influence of movies like Jaws and Sharknado are firm in their beliefs that sharks are the predatory kings of the sea. However sharks are not the reining kings of oceans instead their throne s being challenged by one species of Dolphins known as Orca or Killer Whale. This species of dolphins is so powerful that it has not only hunted shark species like Mako and Great White Sharks but also successfully killed them and eaten them.  Orcas attack and kill sharks by tail slamming them, hunting in groups or turning over the shark upside down to cause tonic immobility in them.

Shark and tonic immobility:-

You can render a shark harmless and helpless completely by using no tools at all. The phenomenon is called utilizing the Tonic Immobility. Sharks have a natural defense mechanism called Tonic Immobility a type of playing dead trick. If you can get a shark turn upside down and hold it under water then it can remain immobilize for few minutes.

Orcas, one predator for sharks have discovered this ability and use it to hunt, kill and eat them.