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MYTH: Sharks are dangerous man-eaters.
REALITY: Although it is true that sharks have attacked people, the likelihood of this happening is incredibly rare. In 2007, there were 71 reported shark incidents worldwide, of which one was fatal.
* Of the 71, most were single bites in which the shark did not bite again. No sharks have humans as a regular part of their diet (* International Shark Attack Files).
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MYTH: Sharks don’t think.
REALITY: False. In aquarium and lab settings, sharks have been trained to bump coloured and shaped targets to receive food. Sharks have also been conditioned to come to the surface and present themselves for veterinary procedures. This type of conditioning proves that they are capable of learning.
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MYTH: Sharks will sink if they stop swimming.
REALITY: This is true for most, but not all, species. Sharks have a large oily liver which helps with their buoyancy, but if they stop forward motion they will sink as they lack an air-filled swim bladder that most bony fish have.
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MYTH: Sharks are indiscriminate eaters.
REALITY: False. All one has to do is look at the different tooth shapes of the various shark species to realise that sharks have very specialised diets. Some sharks, like mako sharks, have smooth pointy teeth for impaling and trapping fast prey. Others, such as the great white shark, have serrated teeth for tearing through and removing chunks of meat. Still others have flat crushing teeth, such as the horn shark, for eating crustaceans and mollusks. Finally, others have truly unique teeth such as the tiger shark which are designed to cut through the hard shell of a sea turtle. Each shark species has a very unique diet although they can sometimes eat something that they have misidentified as their natural prey.
