Have you ever avoided the oceans because of shark fear? There are many misconceptions about sharks that make people avoid visiting the beaches, they depict sharks as bloodthirsty creatures who attack you. Well, that’s not true. Just like this, there are many other fallacies that people do believe! However, the reality lies somewhere away from it. Here we are addressing some of the myths and the realities Read on to find out more amazing information about sharks.
Sharks Facts Vs Sharks Myths
We have shortlisted some of the fictional thoughts about sharks that people have, along with the facts to prove them all wrong. Here we go.
Myth # 1: Sharks are bloodthirsty man-eaters and are always in search of a chance to attack.
Fact: Sharks do not like human meat, they do not even prey on humans. Sharks attack humans only out of curiosity or mistakenly identify them due to poor vision but once they understand the situation, they back off and set you free.
Myth # 2: All sharks are voracious hunters
Fact: All sharks are not avid predators. Shark species such as whale sharks and basking sharks are known as the two largest species of the shark’s kingdom. The species are filter feeders which only attack other animals for food.
Myth # 3: All sharks are the same.
Fact: Sharks not only vary in shape and size but also they have different diets, habitats, and behaviors. There are more than 500 species of sharks – not all the shark species attack humans except Bull sharks, Tiger sharks, and White sharks as they are in charge of many of the shark bites.
Myth # 4: Sharks are free from any predator
Fact: People believe that sharks being at the top of the food web do not have any predatory hunters but that’s not true. Sharks do fear the killer whales – Orcas. Killer whales are known to attack sharks and injure them which leads to the death of sharks.
Myth # 5: Shark meat has health benefits
Fact: Traditionally in China, it is believed that the meat of sharks has medicinal properties but according to recent studies shark meat contains high content of mercury and other hazardous toxins which may hurt human health. So it should be highly recommended to eat shark meat only twice a month and to keep yourself healthy.
Myth # 6: Sharks are capable of regenerating their fins when cut off.
Fact: Sharks are not able to grow their fins back when cut off. Sharks’ fins are usually used to make delicious fin soup and are thrown back in the water where they die due to excess bleeding and suffocation because without fins they are not able to swim.
Myth # 7: Sharks do not develop cancer.
Fact: Years back it was believed that sharks do not get cancer but recent studies proves it wrong when researchers found a tumor in the mouth of Great White sharks. However, sharks are now being hunted for the use of their cartilage to cure cancer – the cartilage has a special compound that inhibits the growth of cancerous cells.
Myth # 8: Sharks are not important to the oceans.
Fact: Sharks being the top predators of the ocean plays a very important role in balancing the ecosystem. Sharks feed on small and sick fishes to keep the ecosystem in equilibrium. If sharks were to be removed from the ocean then massive habitat disturbance will occur.
Myth # 9: The dead sharks are more economical than the living
Fact: Sharks are very important for keeping the ecosystem balanced and healthy. Sharks fascinate tourists a lot due to their mesmerizing nature. They help the coastal economy by promoting ecotourism. Many people even pay a large amount of money only to dive with the divine creation of the ocean water.
Myth # 10: Sharks are stupid.
Fact: Although sharks have small walnut-sized brains they are very intelligent. The mass of the shark’s brain is equal to the size of mammals and birds.
Final words
Sharks – the very popular celebrity of the ocean world. Many myths make sharks fearsome and scary giant creatures but most of them are fallacious because sharks are very calm and peaceful animals. In this article, we have opened up the truth behind the misconceptions about sharks. Hope you understand the importance of sharks more clearly.