Sharks: 12 interesting facts about the marine fish

Shark sightings on the east and west coasts have been on the rise as Americans flock to beaches in hopes of cooling off.

In Hawaii, a tiger shark was recently spotted swimming 30 yards from the island's break wall along Oahu's South Shore, prompting warning signs to be posted by officials, Island News reported.

The Honolulu Emergency Services Department labeled the 12-foot shark "non-aggressive" after it was spotted around noon on June 27.

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Below, take a look at 12 unique facts about sharks, including the population, size and more, as some U.S. states see a spike in shark sightings and warnings of potential shark attacks.

There are more than 500 known species of shark in seas around the world, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Marine experts estimate that the total shark population is around one billion, according to A-Z Animals, an online animal encyclopedia.

"This means there's a shark for every seven or eight humans," the encyclopedia noted in July 2022. "They can be found in every ocean in the world and just about every oceanic habitat, including the open ocean, deep sea, coral reefs, shallows and beneath Arctic ice."

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Whale sharks are the largest living shark species. The maximum size of whale sharks is not known, but could be as large as 65.6 feet, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.

The world’s largest whale shark on record measured 61.7 feet, according to a 2018 study from Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute – a university in Florida – and the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program.

Dwarf lantern sharks are the smallest living shark species with an average size of 8 inches, according to the National Museum of Natural History.

The museum said the species is "smaller than a human hand" and has "only been observed a few times" in the northern part of South America at depths between 928 and 1,440 feet.

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Great white sharks have one of the strongest bites in the world. A 2008 experiment led by Australian paleontologist Stephen Wroe found that a 7,328-pound great white shark could exert about 4,095 pounds of force from its powerful jaws, according to a study published in the Journal of Zoology.

Most shark species have five rows of teeth, according to Delta Dental of Washington, a dental insurance provider.

In a Shark Week blog post, Delta Dental of Washington reported that some shark species "can have as many as 3,000 teeth at once" and "lose up to 100 per day."

In 2023, there were a total of 69 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Surfers and those participating in board sports accounted for 42% of incidents. Swimmers and waders accounted for 39%. Snorkelers/free divers accounted for 13%.

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From 2018-2022, the average number of unprovoked shark attacks on humans was 63, per the Florida Museum of Natural History. 

The chance of being killed by a shark is one in 3.7 million, according to National Geographic.

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The latest research suggests that around 100 million sharks may be killed annually, often targeted for their fins. This practice affects many different shark species, including whale sharks, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.

Sharks have existed for 450 million years, according to The Natural History Museum, London.

The museum said the finned animal appeared in fossil records before the existence of trees, and sharks have survived five mass extinctions.

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The since extinct megalodon is believed to be the largest shark species in world history. A 1909 jaw reconstruction put together by American paleontologist Bashford Dean estimated that megalodons could grow to be 98 feet long, according to Fossil Era, a fossil specimen provider.

In recent years, scientists have downgraded Dean’s estimate to 68.6 feet. Full skeletons have yet to be found, but megalodon teeth are often found around the world. 

Megalodons \became extinct 2.6 million years ago during the end of the Pliocene era, according to The Natural History Museum, London.