All About Sharks for Kids | What is a shark? Shark facts for kids

[Music] laughs sharks sharks are a special type of fish that live in every ocean and even some lakes and rivers around the world these fascinating creatures have been around for at least 450 million years that's even older than the dinosaurs even though sharks are technically fish they have distinct differences in their bodies that set them apart first Sharks don't have any bones in their bodies instead their skeletons are made of a tough white tissue called cartilage just like your ears and nose sharks also have more gill slits than other fish most other fish only have

one Gill slit on each side of their heads but sharks have up to 14 making it easier for them to filter oxygen from the water although sharks have a wide range of body shapes most of them are torpedo shaped this helps them to move quickly through the water some bottom dwelling sharks like Angel sharks have flattened bodies that help them hide in the sand at the bottom of the ocean saw sharks have elongated snouts that look Jagged and sharp like saws hammerhead sharks have unusually white heads that look like hammers all of these species of

sharks have evolved over millions of years to have bodies that make them skilled predators there are many different species of sharks some can be small as your hand while others can get bigger than a school bus that's huge speaking of big fish the biggest fish in the world is called a whale shark these large creatures can grow up to 33 feet long and weigh up to 41 000 pounds that's heavier than 200 people whale sharks are also known for their unique patterns on their skin marine biologists say that each whale shark skin pattern is unlike

any other just like your fingerprints the patterns on these sharks are totally unique over 400 different living shark species have been discovered so far and that's not even including the ones that have gone extinct these species often have distinctive shapes sizes colors fins teeth habitat diet temperaments methods of reproduction and other unique qualities some species are very rare like the great white shark others are more common like the dogfish shark or the bull shark s can see colors just like us but their eyes also have a reflective layer called a tabatum these extra layers make

it easier for them to see in really dark places where the sun doesn't reach like at the bottom of the ocean their eyes aren't the only organ that makes the Shark special they also have little black spots around their noses eyes and mouths these tiny little spots are called Electro receptors and they allow the shark to sense temperature shifts in the ocean and can even help them capture prey these extra senses are an important part of what makes a shark such great predators if you had to guess think shark skin feels like you might be

surprised but sharkskin actually feels like sandpaper just like a cat's tongue it's grainy rough and abrasive the reason it feels like this is because it's made up of a bunch of tiny sharp structures called placoid scales these scales make sharks Aqua dynamic which means they can quickly swim through the water to grab their prey without unnecessary friction probably more than anything else sharks are known for their terrifying teeth some have Jagged triangular teeth while others have long and thin teeth with pointy tips whale sharks have over 3 000 tiny teeth that help them filter the

Little Critters they eat like plankton krill and fish eggs great white sharks on the other hand have large teeth which help them hunt for food like sea lions and seals shark teeth are very different than human teeth people first grow their baby teeth at a young age eventually those teeth are slowly replaced by permanent teeth sharks on the other hand have rows and rows and rows of teeth the teeth at the front of their mouths are the biggest and sharpest each row behind them slowly grows bigger and bigger until they replace the front row when

the biggest ones fall out some sharks go through as many as 50 000 teeth in a lifetime can you imagine having teeth like a shark S have a unique reflex called tonic immobility this reflex happens when they are flipped upside down tonic immobility makes sharks go into a trance-like state almost like they've been hypnotized or have taken a quick nap some scientists believe tonic immobility is a defense mechanism for sharks in case they are being attacked but nobody knows for sure although many believe sharks to be vicious these sea creatures do not normally attack people

shark attacks tend to happen fewer than a hundred times each year all around the world but sharks aren't mean or Evil By Nature and they have the very important job of bringing balance to the ocean's ecosystems ready to review let's do it true or false the anatomy of sharks is different than the anatomy of other fish true sharks have cartilage instead of Bones and more gill slits than other fish what is the biggest shark in the world did you remember it was the whale shark true or false sharks lose teeth only once their entire lives

faults some sharks can go through as many as 50 000 teeth in their lifetime what does the texture of a shark's skin feel like rough like sandpaper or a cat's tongue excellent work shark Scholars sharks are fascinating ocean creatures that have been around longer than the dinosaurs they have amazing night vision eyes sandpapery skin and tons of sharp teeth that make them some of the toughest predators in the ocean hope you had fun learning with us visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and TurnKey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers