SHARK WEEK: Lowcountry home to nine shark species (2024)

FAQs

How many shark species are there? ›

There are more than 500 species of sharks swimming in the oceans today, which are split across eight orders: Carcharhiniformes; Hederodotiformes; Hexanchiformes; Lamniformes; Orectolobiformes; Pristiophoriformes; Squaliformes; and Squatiniformes. Each has unique characteristics and behaviours.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston waterways are home to about nine species of sharks. “We have Atlantic Sharpnose, Bonnethead, Hammerhead, Finetooth, Blacktip, Sandbar, Tiger, Lemon and Bull sharks,” said Ashley Galloway, a marine biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Cladoselache is regarded as the first "true shark". It lived 380 million years ago and it still retained a few characteristics of its fishy ancestors.

While the majority of shark species have sustainable populations, a number of them have been shrinking at an alarming rate. For these species, overfishing, bycatch, and shark finning are contributing factors in their decline.

Bull Shark

Wikipedia Great Whites get most of the headlines but Bull Sharks may be the most dangerous shark of them all. It has been recorded in 69 unprovoked attacks on humans but researchers believe the numbers may be higher because of the lack of easily identifiable markings.

At 12.3 metres long, the basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, comes in a close second. Then there's the Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, at 6.4 metres long and the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, at around 4.0 metres long, though there have been a few reports of individuals over six metres long.

The most common sharks in South Carolina's estuaries are Atlantic sharpnose, sandbar, bonnethead, blacktip, finetooth, scalloped hammerhead, nurse, lemon, tiger, sand tiger and dusky. Spinner, bull and blacknose sharks are also observed to a lesser degree.

A third shark, a young great white shark named Anne Bonny, appeared near the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, WSB reported. She weighs approximately 425 pounds. Bob and Breton were both first tagged near Nova Scotia and Anne Bonny was tagged near North Carolina, WSB reported.

What To Expect When Shark Fishing. South Carolina's coastal waters are the perfect place to catch sharks during the summer months beginning in May and continuing until late October.

As ice formed at the poles and the sea level dropped, these pupping grounds would have been destroyed. A study from 2022 suggests that competition with great white sharks for food may also have contributed to megalodon's downfall. Studies of fossilised megalodon and great white teeth show that their diets overlapped.

Were sharks alive with dinosaurs? ›

Sharks are ancient creatures that evolved long before dinosaurs lived on land. They have survived five global mass extinctions, each of which wiped out more than 75 per cent of animal species.

Made of very strong and thick bone, dolphin snouts are biological battering rams. Dolphins will position themselves several yards under a shark and burst upwards jabbing their snout into the soft underbelly of the shark causing serious internal injuries.

While some species of sharks do need to swim constantly, this is not true for all sharks. Some sharks such as the nurse shark have spiracles that force water across their gills allowing for stationary rest. Sharks do not sleep like humans do, but instead have active and restful periods.

18 years… scientists have estimated if we continue to kill sharks at the rate we are (100-273 million every year) the animal will be wiped from our oceans by 2040.

There are more than 400 different shark species, most of which can be found in coastal regions. They are present in every ocean of the world, with some species also inhabiting rivers. Sharks belong to the class of cartilaginous fish, along side rays and chimeras.

Scientists say 90% of the world's open-ocean sharks died off in mystery extinction event 19 million years ago | CNN.

There are over 500 species, from angel to zebra. Some are speedy, some are slow. Many feast on fish, while others prefer to slurp worms or filter plankton.

There are more than 500 different species of shark, including the great white shark, grey reef shark, hammerhead shark, tiger shark, blue shark, bull shark and many others.