Happy Shark Week! There are over 400 known species of sharks in the world of all shapes and sizes. Get to know these three shark species a little better.
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
One of the world’s largest predatory fishes, great whites are at the top of the ocean food web. Far from being indiscriminate “killers,” they locate their prey—seals, sea lions, dolphins and fishes including other sharks— through smell, eyesight and a well-developed electrical sense. Attacks on humans are rare and probably cases of mistaken identity.
Thintail thresher shark
Alopias vulpinus
With a scythelike upper lobe of the tail fin as long or longer than its body, the thintail thresher is among the most easily recognizable of sharks. These migratory, open ocean giants feed mainly on small schooling fishes and squid, which they round up and stun by thrashing the water with their tails. (Image)
Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
The largest of all fish, the whale shark can reach 20 meters (65 feet) and weigh up to 20,000 kilograms (44,000 pounds). Despite their huge size, they feed by filtering small fish, squid and krill from the water. Whale sharks are thought to have a lifespan of 100 to 150 years, but relatively little is known about them. Learn more about whale sharks.
See models of each of these species in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.
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