The incredible world of sharks
Sharks are incredibly creatures that have bad publicity due to their sometimes violent nature. But they are in fact very majestic creatures that have been studied by marine biologists for many years and in more recent times are thought to possible hold the key to helping in the fight against some diseases including dementia.
Here are few facts about thesebeautiful and often misunderstood creatures.
- They are warm bloodied unlikehumans which are cold bloodied. This is why we have to adapt the environmentaround use in order to stay warm and why our Boilers are so importantand should be checked annually by a Gloucester Boiler servicing company. Sharkshave internal organs that are usually around 12 degrees warmer than the watersthat they are swimming in, and they regulate their temperatures by transferringheat from their muscles.
- Sharks like elephants have long gestation periodsand they have a pregnancy that lasts around 18 months. This is one of thereasons why there has been a dip in their population numbers. They can givebirth to three of four pups in each pregnancy but survival rates of the youngsharks is incredibly low as well as an increase in the threat from hunting byhumans.
- There has long been a myth that sharks lurk around in the waters at night looking to hunt their prey. In actual fact sharks need good light in order for their eyesight to work at its optimum levels so they prefer to hunt for food during the day. A little-known fact about sharks and their hunting is that in order to protect their eyesight from damage during an attack on prey they actually close their eyes in the last few seconds before they attack their prey. Great White sharks will often hide in the camouflage of murky waters but again will hunt during the day when the light is better.
- A shark’s diet is incredibly important, and many will feed on seals and whales as they are animals whose meat is naturally high in fat. The sharks need the high fat content in order to be able to turn this into energy to then in turn helps to warm their bodies. Their feeding habits depend on their size and age with younger smaller sharks feeding on small fish and then as they grow in size and age they also increase the size of their food source.