How Many Teeth Do Sharks Have
How many teeth do sharks have? With their huge size and how sharks are portrayed in the movies and other videos, sharks are still animals that need to be protected. Many people are curious as to how many teeth sharks have, and the answer is about 50. Over the years, sharks continue to be endangered. That is why it helps that people are also aware of different facts about sharks, apart from them just being known as an animal that is really dangerous underwater. Just like any animal, sharks also play their part in the ecosystem.
How Many Teeth Do Sharks Have
A large shark has approximately about 50 working teeth. They also have multiple rows of teeth. When the old teeth start to fall out, the new set of teeth are ready to take that place.
There are some sharks that have about 300 in different stages of their development. Just like human teeth, their set of teeth is actually not that strong and easily falls out. However, since they are always replacing the old ones with the new ones, it’s not a big deal for them.
All throughout their lives, shark can have about 50,000 teeth.
Several sharks have their teeth in layered rows. You have the lower and upper jaws of about two to three rows.
Unlike other animals, their teeth easily fall off and don’t have roots. Another thing that you will notice is that they constantly lose teeth.
You might wonder if this is a bad thing for them. They may not have strong teeth but this is what makes their jaw strong and predators in the ocean. What happens is that when they bite, they lose some of their teeth.
What do Sharks Eat
When it comes to the food that they eat, it depends on the size of the shark. Usually, sharks are very flexible when it comes to the food.
For the big white sharks, they can eat almost anything. They actually enjoy eating fat and huge animals like big fish or almost anything. They like big dolphins, seals and other large animals under the sea. What they really like is fresh and raw animal that lives underwater.
This explains why whenever you see hunters on television, they always have a fish around the bait. But actually it depends if ever the shark is really hungry; they can even eat trash and other garbage that is moving around in the ocean.
This might be a minor concern but if they tend to eat a big amount, it can be really bad for their health. As for the smaller sharks, they usually go for fish that come near them like squids, crabs, shrimp and others. They like eating whatever is near them.
And unlike big sharks, small sharks do not go out on a hunt like they do. Contrary to what some would think, sharks are actually meat eaters. They may often look like they are going to eat humans but what they actually like is seafood and other big fishes in the ocean.
They enjoy eating lobsters, shrimp, crab, etc. Sharks are not really picky when it comes to the food that they eat. In fact, there are sharks that would eat trash and this can be really dangerous.
Everything that is in the water, they may eat, especially if there is no other food available. It might not harm them right away. But continuously eating junk can be detrimental to their health.
When it comes to the amount of food that they eat, it basically depends on the type of shark. There are sharks that like to eat huge meals. After that, they will not eat for weeks.
They can survive on just the oil stored in their liver. If it starts to get low, that is the time the shark will eat.
The reason why sharks do not eat as often even if their size is bigger is that they are a cold-blooded animal. They burn energy slowly compared to other animals.
Endangered Sharks
With the different threats in the external environment, sharks are actually endangered species. When you watch documentaries, you get to see different human activities that threaten their survival.
There are others who hunt for sharks. Although some may think that sharks are dangerous, they actually play an important role in the ocean.
The food chain can be negatively affected. Sharks do not live long and they also mature late. Compared to other species, they only produce few offspring. Whale sharks are vulnerable and the Great Hammerhead are endangered.
Why are sharks endangered? There are different human activities that negatively affect sharks.
For one, commercial fishing is harming them. There are illegal fishing activities that often go for the consumption of their meat and fins. With a high demand for sharks, especially since they are used for medicine and soup, many tend to exploit and resort to illegal commercial fishing.
Another reason that makes this problem worse is the degradation of their habitat. With the damages brought about by climate change, this also affects the habitat of sharks.
Apart from climate change, there are other contributing factors like pollution and the destruction of reefs and mangroves. These are essential for sharks as this is where they breed and look for prey. It’s important to protect their habitats.
