Sharks

Feared by most, loved by some and hunted by many, sharks are one of the most mysterious groups of creatures roaming the Earth today. Defined as a fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a sleek, streamlined body, a shark can range in size from the two foot pygmy shark, to the colossal 50-foot whale shark.There are more than 250 different species of sharks currently identified, making it one of the most diverse animal genera on the planet. Sharks are found in every major body of saltwater in the world, but are more common in warmer waters. There are a small number of shark species that do thrive in fresh water, and certain sharks have been known to venture from their saltwater homes to major freshwater lakes and rivers.Most members

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A shortfin mako shark swimming.

Threatened shark meat is being served as fish and chips in Australia

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Fish and chip shops across Australia are using threatened shark meat in their food.

9-year-old Molly Sampson holds the 5-inch megalodon tooth she discovered at Calvert Cliffs State Park in Maryland.

Massive megalodon tooth discovered in Chesapeake Bay by 9-year-old fossil hunter

By Harry Baker published

A 9-year-old girl from Maryland, who has collected more than 400 fossilized shark teeth, discovered a 5-inch megalodon gnasher on Christmas Day.

An array of shark teeth displayed on a tray.

Massive graveyard of fossilized shark teeth found deep in the Indian Ocean

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Australian researchers discovered 750 shark teeth deep in the Indian Ocean.

Adult zebra shark swimming amongst fish.

Female zebra shark opts for 'virgin birth' even when sharing a tank with healthy males

By Joshua A. Krisch published

A female zebra shark conceived her pups through 'virgin birth,' despite sharing a tank with two males.

Drone footage shows a pod of killer whales attacking and killing a great white shark in South Africa.

Grisly new footage shows orcas attacking a great white shark and eating its liver

By Brandon Specktor last updated

Newly released video shows a gang of killer whales in South Africa attack and slaughter a great white shark.

An animation of the ancient 'shark' Fanjingshania renovata swimming.

Bizarre, primeval sharklike fish is unlike any vertebrate ever discovered

By Harry Baker published

Researchers in China have discovered fossilized fragments of an ancient shark-like fish — the oldest jawed vertebrate ever discovered.

A deep-sea angler recently reeled in this mysterious shark with bulging eyes, rough skin and an unnervingly human-like smile.

Mysterious 'nightmare' shark with unnerving human-like smile dragged up from the deep sea

By Harry Baker published

A deep-sea fisher in Australia recently reeled in a creepy-looking shark with bulging eyes and a human-like smile. Experts are unsure exactly which species it belongs to.

Visual representation of Otodus megalodon’s predatory attack on a small whale, with possible origin of the crushed vertebra.

Terrifying megalodon attack on whale revealed in 15 million-year-old fossils

By Joshua A. Krisch last updated

A megalodon tooth found suspiciously close to two fractured whale vertebrae may reflect one small whale's heroic escape from the jaws of a giant prehistoric shark.

I'm walkin' here! An epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) at the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia.

Video reveals baby steps of newly hatched ‘walking’ sharks

By Joshua A. Krisch published

Epaulette sharks can use their fins to "walk" underwater and even on dry land.

An artists depiction of a megalodon attacking a cetacean.

Megalodon was fastest swimming shark ever and could devour an orca in 5 bites, 3D model reveals

By Harry Baker published

Researchers have created a 3D computer model of a megalodon shark based on fossilized teeth and vertebrae, giving us our best look yet at the ancient behemoths.

The shark looks like a Greenland shark but was released before a genetic sample could be collected.

Half-blind Greenland shark possibly spotted in the Caribbean, thousands of miles from its usual home

By Patrick Pester published

A strange shark caught off Belize in the Caribbean was likely a Greenland shark or Greenland shark hybrid, according to a new study.

The unusual front fins of epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) help them do something no other shark species can do: walk on land.

'Walking sharks' caught on video, astound scientists

By Isobel Whitcomb published

On the remote Southern coast of Papua New Guinea, scientists encountered something amazing: a walking shark.

Shark Week 2022 split image - Left side shows The Rock as Shark Week 2022 host, right side shows a Great White Shark

Shark Week streaming guide: How to watch Shark Week 2022

By Susan Arendt last updated

Mysteries of missing sharks, never-before-seen mating grounds, and more than a little nervous laughter are yours for the viewing during this year’s Shark Week.

A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) opens its mouth to filter-feed.

Stupendous sharks: The largest, smallest and strangest sharks in the world

By Stephanie Pappas last updated

From the smallest shark to the largest, from the fastest swimmers to the deepest divers, these sharks have impressive abilities.

In this illustration, giant sharks scavenge the enormous corpse of Livyatan, an extinct, enormous sperm whale that lived around 12 million years ago.

What was megalodon's favorite snack? Sperm whale faces

By Mindy Weisberger last updated

New analysis of fossil skulls from sperm whales that lived millions of years ago shows that numerous species of ancient sharks preyed on the whales … and ate their faces.

A great white shark washed up on the Gansbaai coast in South Africa after two orca whales killed it and ate its liver.

Serial killer whales have been murdering sharks and eating their livers for 5 years

By Brandon Specktor last updated

A pair of killer whales has been terrorizing great white sharks near Capetown, slaughtering at least eight sharks over five years and eating their livers, scientists say.

The dead thresher shark on the beach.

Dead baby shark that washed up on UK beach was likely aborted by its mother

By Harry Baker last updated

A dead baby thresher shark that washed up on a beach in the U.K. might have been aborted by its mother. Analysis of the juvenile's remains revealed that it had not fully developed.

Great white sharks coexisted alongside megalodon before rising to take the bigger shark's place at the top of the ocean food chain.

Great white sharks may have driven megalodon to extinction

By Cameron Duke last updated

For millions of years, megalodon was the top predator in marine ecosystems. Then great whites came along and ruined everything.

In an artistic reconstruction, Otodus megalodon feeds upon an ancient swordfish millions of years ago. A puncture injury may have caused the abnormal development that scientists documented in the big shark's tooth.

What caused this massive megalodon’s mega-toothache?

By Mindy Weisberger published

A malformed megalodon tooth hinted at an injury that caused it to develop with a split down the middle.

Plumes from underwater volcanic activity contained sulfur and rock particles.

Undersea 'sharkcano' eruption captured in spectacular satellite images

By Jennifer Nalewicki last updated

A NASA satellite recently spied the underwater eruption of a submerged volcano where sharks make their home.