Aviva Trivia

1) Dried shark skin (shagreen) was once used as sandpaper. In Germany and Japan it was also used in sword handles to provide a non-slip grip for the hilt.

2) Sharks have a life span that can reach up to 100 years. On average, sharks live to be only 25.

3) A shark is a fish, not a mammal. It breathes through its gills, has a backbone and lives in the water. Unlike other fish, the shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone. They don’t have scales. Rather, they have denticles.

4) There are over 450 species of sharks. Despite this diversity, it is easy to tell the different species apart due to body shapes and other characteristics.

5) Sharks have been around for over 400 million years. They are among the oldest – and most successful – vertebrate species on the planet.

6) Most sharks are cold-blooded. The Great White and Porbeagle varieties can raise their body temperature above that of the water they are swimming in. This helps their muscles function better. That’s why they are among the fastest – and most successful – predators in the world!

7) The bull shark can survive in fresh water and has been spotted in rivers in Africa and South America. In general, sharks are ocean creatures.

8) Sharks are intelligent. They have a large, complex brain. It’s about the same size as that of a bird. They can be trained to perform simple tasks like the ringing of a bell to ask for food.

9) The shark has a bashiyal. It serves as its tongue. This piece of cartilage doesn’t appear to have a major function; although, it’s been found to assist with water flow through the gills. The bashiyal also helps with ingestion of food.

10) Sharks control their buoyancy not through their bladder as most other fish species do but rather their liver. The liver can take up to 90% of the shark’s interior body cavity. It produces oil that decreases the shark’s density and allows it to remain afloat.