30 Things You Didn't Know About Sharks

The Dwarf Lantern shark is so small it could fit in the palm of your hand.

Many shark species — like most fish — are coldblooded, but some are warmblooded, including the Great White Shark.

The largest shark is a Whale Shark, which can grow up to 40 feet long.

Sharks have an array of electroreceptors in the pores around their mouths. These receptors can detect tiny electromagnetic fields made by things, as seemingly inconsequential as muscle contractions or movements in living organisms. In the conductive environment of sea water, sharks have been measured detecting electric fields as weak as 5/1,000,000,000 of a volt per centimeter of receptor tissue.

Hammerheads have a virtually 360 degree view at all times, letting them efficiently sweep for prey.

Great Whites aren’t the top of the food chain. Orcas are the true apex predators of their ecosystems, which means that no other animals prey on them.

They can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour in the water and can grow as long as 21 feet.

Tests of olfactory reception and stimulation in some species have shown that they can detect as little as 1 part per millionth of blood in sea water. In terms of volume, that's like sniffing out a golf ball in Loch Ness.

Averaging 20-30 miles per hour (32-48 kilometers per hour), the short fin Mako is recognized as the fastest shark species, making it an unstoppable predator.

Between 30 and 80 percent of a shark's flesh is made up of water. A protein network gives the flesh its structure.

Certain shark species, such as the Great White, will drown if they stop moving. They lack the necessary muscles to pump water through their mouth.

20 percent of sharks are close to extinction because of commercial fisheries accidentally catching sharks with their hooks and nets.

If a shark bites you, it probably won't take a second taste. They typically bite, then let go after realizing they're not eating sea animals

Great white sharks eat 11 tons of food each year, while humans eat roughly half a ton of food during the same amount of time

The goblin shark lives along outer continental shelves and underwater mountain ranges. Their dwellings are too deep for human exploration.

Whale sharks are the world's biggest fish, with big families too. One whale shark can give birth to 300 live shark pups in one litter.

Until recently, sharks were thought to be immune to cancer, but the latest scientific research proves otherwise.

Sharks have existed in oceans for more than 400 million years. They pre-date humans and dinosaurs.

Even though sharks have razor-sharp teeth, they don't use them for chewing prey. They are for ripping; resulting chunks are swallowed whole.

A shark’s tail forces water to flow over its fin. much like a propeller creates airflow over the wings of a plane. Their infamous dorsal fins are used for added stability.

Sharks can track the electrical pulses associated with a heartbeat via electricity-sensing nodules on their noses called ampullae of Lorenzini.

Shark teeth are covered in fluoride, which is resistant to acid produced by bacteria, making them cavity-resistant.

The skin of a female shark is much thicker than that of a male because males bite females during mating.

Lantern sharks can glow to disguise themselves in the deep ocean, emitting the same amount of light which filters down from above; this way, they don't create a shadow.

The UK is home to over 40 species of shark. Twenty one species can be found year-round, with eleven species found solely in deep water.

Most sharks give birth to live young. But some species give birth via eggcases. These are leather-like pouches in which a fertilized shark egg is left in the sea to develop into a shark pup.

Not all sharks eat live prey. In fact, some sharks, like the basking shark, are filter feeders. These massive creatures seek out plankton-rich feeding grounds. They then swim very slowly with their jaws open filtering the sea water for plankton.

Thresher sharks have been seen jumping off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. They are one of the few shark species that can leap of out of the water like dolphins.

Scientists now are researching shark skin for it’s unique anti-bacterial features in hopes of treating infections in humans.

Thought Great Whites were big enough? The prehistoric Carcharodon megalodon was larger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex, reaching up to 50 ft!

Can't get enough sharks? Don't miss out on Discovery Channel's 30th-anniversary Shark Week, the longest-running cable television event in history celebrating everything sharks.

Join the fintastic party starting on July 23rd on the Discovery Channel!