From the fastest shark in the world to the strongest bite, here are 10 of the most powerful
sharks in the world!!!!
10.
Dusky Shark
Dusky sharks live in tropical and temperate waters across the globe and love to travel!
They have far-reaching migration patterns- often reaching the poles in summer, and returning
to equatorial waters in the winter… a journey that's as much as 2000 miles.
The dusky shark has been found cruising from shallow, inshore waters to depths of 1300
feet.
They are also known as ‘bronze whalers', and sometimes will team up to bring down humpback
whale calves.
While the size of an adult whale might be intimidating, their calves are easier to get.
Dusky sharks are severely endangered so it is hard for scientists and researchers to
know if they usually team up or if this was a rare occurrence.
Dusky sharks are a long living species, with a life expectancy of up to 50 or 60 years!!
They are one of the slowest growing sharks- taking about 20 years to mature, kind of like
humans, but they can grow to up to 12 feet long, and weigh up to 400 pounds.
Their mouths have broad serrated teeth in their upper jaw, with narrow serrated teeth
in their lower jaw… more than enough to hunt their typical prey of fish, such as smaller
sharks, tunas, eels, crabs, and sardines.
Which they love!!
Due to their size and temperament, Dusky sharks are seen as being potentially dangerous to
humans, although as is usually the case, there haven’t been many recorded incidents.
If you’re swimming in the water and see a large shark like this with a rounded snout
and no markings on its fins, though, it might be time to get back on the boat!
9.
Caribbean Reef Shark
Caribbean reef sharks are found along the coastline between Florida and Brazil and tend
to stick to the outer edges of reefs, hence their name.
They can often be seen swimming at depths of about 100 feet, but have been recorded
as low as 1250 feet below sea level in the search for their favorite meals, such as rays
and bony fish.
They grow to up to 9 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds- although the average spotted
by divers are about 5.2 feet.
The Caribbean Reef Shark's teeth are serrated in both jaws, and very well adapted to gripping
and tearing flesh.
This species is rarely aggressive and usually avoids human contact altogether, but during
staged feeds, or if they have no other choice, they can become quite violent.
Since 1960 there have been 27 documented attacks on humans, none of which have been fatal…
Only 4 of these are thought to be the sharks mistaking a person as a source of food, and
the rest have been due to getting caught in fishing nets and biting the fishermen to escape.
Can you blame them?
And now for number 8, but first if you are new here, welcome and be sure to subscribe
before you leave!!
Also remember, sharks are friends, not food!!
8.
Galapagos Shark
Galapagos sharks are a slender, grey species that can be found in circumtropical locations
near sheltered features.
They can grow to up to 9.5 feet long, and the largest ever weighed tipped the scales
at 430 pounds.
They are quite tricky to distinguish from dusky sharks and reef sharks, with the telltale
sign being a rounded tip on its first dorsal fin.
They tend to hunt in groups, preying on bottom fish like sea bass, triggerfish and eels..
but they'll also hunt octopus and squid if they’re around.
Galapagos sharks are an aggressive species, and may make a threatening display… which
involves arching its back, raising its head, and twisting and rolling.
This tends to be followed by a charge, but the shark may also circle back, and return
with more sharks to assist it.
Because of their aggression and triangular serrated teeth, Galapagos sharks are deemed
potentially dangerous to humans, but only in certain circumstances.
Divers regularly swim alongside them without the need for protection, and there have only
been three known attacks on humans- two of which were fatal- in the waters of the Virgin
Islands.
7.
Blue Shark
Blue sharks are easily recognizable for their bright blue, torpedo-shaped design, and are
found around the world in temperate and tropical waters.
Unfortunately, this species is one of the most overfished types of shark and is classified
as ‘near threatened' by the international union for the conservation of nature.
Between 10 and 20 million blue sharks are killed by human capture every year, where
they are used for their fins, skin, and flesh- and there's serious concern that their conservation
status will rapidly decline if this continues.
They tend to grow to up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 450 pounds.
By far the most widely distributed animal on the planet, they love temperatures between
50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit and swim to depths of up to 1312 feet... where they feed on squid,
bony fish, smaller sharks, and lobsters.
When they are at the surface, they’ll also grab a seabird or two.
Blue sharks aren’t naturally aggressive towards humans, but they can whip up into
a frenzy during staged shark feeds and when they feel threatened.
While there are no confirmed records of fatalities due to this species, they have long been suspected
of attacks on shipwreck survivors during world war 2.
6.
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
The slow-moving Oceanic Whitetip shark inhabits tropical and warm waters and was described
by Jacques Cousteau as the most dangerous of all sharks.
They are solitary animals, growing to up to 13 feet long in rare cases, and weighing as
much as 370 pounds.
They have strong jaws and teeth and are stubbornly aggressive- often returning to finish off
what they have started.
Oceanic Whitetips are rarely seen in coastal regions, as they prefer the open seas..
They typically hunt marlin, barracuda, turtles, and tuna… but they will happily prey on
people that have become stranded.
The most famous example of this comes from 1945 when the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed.
Most of the crew survived and tried to survive in the water, but that’s where their fortunes
changed- as many as 800 sailors are thought to have lost their lives because of whitetip
attacks.
Their agitated state, along with with the wounded bleeding into the water didn’t help.
Again, during the second world war, the Nova Scotia steamship was sunk near South Africa…
and this time, of the almost 1200 people who went into the water, only 192 of them survived
the onslaught by Oceanic Whitetips.
Encounters with whitetips aren't always fatal, but they're definitely one of the species
you'd do best to avoid.
Unfortunately, that's a lot easier to do now, because since 1969 populations have reduced
by as much as 70 percent due to fishing, and the species is now classified as being vulnerable
worldwide, and critically endangered in some regions.
5.
Lemon Shark
Lemon sharks are the most studied of all the species of shark- mainly because they are
much easier to keep in captivity than the others, and so have provided researchers with
the opportunity to closely observe their behavior.
They normally grow to around 11 feet long, weigh about 420 pounds, and are found along
the warmer coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific.
Preferring to keep to shallower waters, lemon sharks will rarely dive beneath 260 feet,
and love to hunt their prey of rays, birds, bony fish and smaller sharks on coral reefs,
in mangroves, bays, and occasionally in river mouths.
You can easily identify a lemon shark by its distinctive yellowish coloring, but as a nocturnal
hunter, they only tend to be active at night time.
Lemon sharks are a popular species for divers to swim with, but this doesn't mean that they
are as mild-tempered as some would say.
They can become aggressive towards people if they feel threatened, and they have been
involved in unprovoked attacks in South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.
4.
Shortfin Mako Shark
Shortfin Mako Sharks, also commonly called blue pointers, are the fasting species of
shark in the world- able to achieve bursts of speed of up to 42 miles per hour!!
They are also one of the most colorful species, with deep purples and bright blues on the
top, with silver and white along their sides and underneath.
As you would expect from their extreme speeds, they have a very evolved streamlined design
with long fins.
Evolution has helped them out since they love chasing Tuna which is an extremely fast fish
and the race is on to see who can out swim the other over the years!!
This species can grow to up to 13 feet in length, and the heaviest ever recorded weighed
1300 pounds.
They live in warmer waters around the world, and don’t tend to be too far away from swordfish
populations, as they like the same conditions and, of course, hunt the gamefish.
As an apex predator, they also feed on tuna, blue sharks, dolphins, and anything else that
takes their fancy.
They’ll swim as deep as 400 feet, and have even been known to leap as much as 20 feet
out of the water.
They don’t usually regard humans as prey, although there have been a number of recorded
unprovoked attacks on swimmers.
Despite this, their speed and aggressiveness, particularly around speared fish, means that
they must be approached with extreme caution.
3.
Bull Shark
Bull sharks are extremely large and powerful fish.
They can grow to around 11.5 feet and 500 pounds and have the strongest bite of any
fish- measured at 1330 pounds of force- So far!
Because researchers are trying to find a better way to measure a shark’s bite force, and
it is not easy!!
This, combined with their triangular serrated teeth, means that anything caught in its mouth
is in serious trouble.
The other danger with bull sharks is where they live.
Unlike other sharks, they have been known to swim in freshwater and have been found
up rivers, as well as hunting in coastal regions.
So if you’re not careful you might be in for a big surprise.
Specimens have been found more than 2000 miles up the Amazon river, 340 miles up the Zambezi
river, and there's even a population that lives in Lake Nicaragua.
They usually feed on smaller sharks, turtles, crustaceans, and birds… but their fondness
for river swimming means that they often prey on larger mammals.
Their attack is said to be similar to a pit bull, making multiple bites and thrashing
its head in an attempt to remove flesh from the target.
Their ferociousness and territorial nature means that bull sharks are one of the top
3 species most likely to attack a human, and many think of them to be the most dangerous
to us.
If you ever think you're close to one, then I'd advise getting out of the water QUICK!
2.
Tiger Shark
Tiger sharks are also very impressive and can be identified by the striped patterns
across their bodies while juveniles, although as they reach adulthood these markings completely
disappear.
Most grow to up to 14 feet long, can weigh as much as 1400 pounds, and in the wild, they
can live for 15 years.
They have been seen in deeper waters of up to 1000 feet, but are normally considered
to be a coastal species- Usually found in tropical and subtropical waters around the
world, and they happily scavenge on whatever food sources they can find.
Their sharp serrated teeth and powerful jaws help them to crack the shells of turtles and
crustaceans, and they will also eat rays, snakes, seals, birds, and squids.
Tiger sharks are considered dangerous to humans and, because they don't care too much what
they eat, they will normally return to finish off the job if they only manage to get one
bite to start with.
They are the most dangerous tropical shark and have been blamed for a number of incidents
in Australia and Hawaii.
Perhaps most surprising is their apparent lack of aggression, but don't let this fool
you- they're probably just measuring you up and preparing to strike!
1.
Great White Shark
This brings us to the most powerful shark in the world…
The Great White.
They are by far the most famous shark from starring in numerous movies, but even though
they are usually depicted as being far more aggressive than they actually are, there’s
no doubt that they are the ocean’s most dangerous predator.
When fully matured they can grow to more than 20 feet long and can weigh more than 2.5 tons.
They are clearly recognizable by their white bellies, heavyset body, the conical snout,
and the fiendish triangular serrated teeth- of which they have more than 300!
Great whites live in waters around the world, typically in depths of up to 4000 feet, but
they do also venture into the shallows.
Swimming at up to 15 miles per hour, their sheer power allows them to breach the water
during a hunt as they attack their prey from beneath.
Their main prey includes seals, sea lions, small whales, sharks, and turtles… and they
are responsible for between one third and a half of the estimated 100 shark attacks
on humans every year.
Most human encounters, however, do not prove to be fatal, as it’s usually a result of
the shark exploring as opposed to hunting.
It is possible to swim alongside them without any problems, but if you are in the water
with them, you’d probably be wiser to see them from inside a cage!
It’s always important to respect these animals and watch them from a distance.
Just because they look scary, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love them just as much!
Thanks for watching!!
Which shark is your favorite?
Let me know in the comments below.
Be sure to subscribe and see you soon!
Byeee!!