The great white shark is the only extant species in the genus Carcharodon and the largest predatory fish in the world. Why are they called great white sharks? Great white sharks belong to the family Lamnidae, which also includes porbeagle sharks, salmon sharks and mako sharks, which are the fastest shark in the ocean. A type of mackerel […]
Tag: sharks
“Each seal is swimming for its life.” These seals must cross shark-infested waters to find a meal. Will they make it?
The BBC’s Planet Earth series has captured plenty of unprecedented animal behaviour, from a deep-sea vampire squid glowing in the dark to a hungry polar bear risking the tusks of a walrus to secure a meal. And the original 2006 series captured an incredible first-of-its-kind, slow-motion sequence of great white sharks hunting fur seals off Cape Town. Each dawn, […]
“It’s up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.” 10 most poisonous animals in the world, from frogs to sharks – and even butterflies. Yes that’s right…
It’s a tough world out there and many animals have had to arm themselves. One capacity that has evolved time and time again is toxic weaponry – venoms and poisons. Although oft confused, there is a clear distinction between these two forms of toxins. Whereas venoms are produced in specialised tissues and are delivered to predators or prey through […]
Researchers tracked 9 great hammerhead sharks off Florida and the Bahamas. Here’s what they discovered
Giant hammerhead sharks are masters of the “thermal hustle,” maintaining peak hunting performance over a surprisingly wide range of ocean temperatures, a study in the Journal of Experimental Biology reveals. As the climate crisis unfolds, the findings provide insight into the species’ possible future movements and survival. All living things have an optimal range of temperatures they […]
They can have 30,000 teeth and some really do die if they stop swimming: 35 incredible, hard-to-believe, fascinating shark facts
Before the Spielberg’s film Jaws was released in 1975, sharks were beautiful and fascinating fish. But the novel and film gave sharks an undeserved reputation as mindless man-eaters – but the truth is far more engaging. Author Michael Bright celebrates the wonder and variety of these ancient, much-misunderstood fish. 35 amazing shark facts 1. How long have […]
“Effects range from internal bleeding to manipulating behaviour or liquifying a host.” These are the deadliest weapons in the animal kingdom
When a peacock mantis shrimp strikes, it generates the heat of a star. The crustacean retracts a spring-loaded mouthpart known as a dactyl club and puts it on a latch, like a cowboy cocking the hammer of a gun. After pulling the trigger to release the stored elastic potential energy, the club moves like a […]
“As the great whites move in for the kill, the seals do something astonishing.”
In the waters off Robberg, South Africa, Cape fur seals benefit from powerful ocean currents that bring in plentiful amounts of fish. The Robberg Peninsula is home to thousands of this seal species, which is endemic to South Africa, who don’t need to swim out too far for a meal. However, the huge shoals of fish also […]
Unprovoked shark attacks up sharply in 2025, with 12 human deaths worldwide
The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world. The International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at […]