Sharks have played a vital role in maintaining healthy oceans for hundreds of millions of years as a top predator. More than 450 species of sharks cruise the world’s oceans, ranging in size from 8 inches to a whopping 40 feet long. But today, nearly one in four sharks and their relatives are threatened with extinction. A major cause is the demand for shark fins. Every year, fins from as many as 73 million sharks end up in the global fin trade.
Learn fun facts and how you can help your favorite sharks – from great white sharks to hammerhead sharks – by clicking a species below.
The tiger shark gets its name from the characteristic vertical bars that cover the sides of its body. Though these bars fade slightly as individuals reach adulthood, they are very noticeable in juveniles and at least party visible throughout the lifetime. Reaching lengths of at least 18 feet (5.5 m) and 2000 pounds (nearly a … Read more
Reaching widths of nearly 11 feet (over 3 m), the spotted eagle ray is one of the largest eagle rays, with only the mantas growing bigger. Spotted eagle rays, like all eagle rays, are active swimmers and do not lie motionless on the seafloor, like the closely related whiptail stingrays (e.g., southern stingray). They are … Read more
The southern stingray is a moderately sized whiptail stingray native to the western Atlantic Ocean. Unlike the spotted eagle rays, the southern stingray spends much of its time in contact with the seafloor, often buried in soft sediment with only its large eyes uncovered. The southern stingray’s mouth is on the ventral (bottom) side of … Read more
The frilled shark is a strange, prehistoric-looking shark that lives in the open ocean and spends much of its time in deep, dark waters far below the sea surface. Its long, cylindrical body reaches lengths of nearly 7 feet (2 m), and its fins are placed far back on the body. The frilled shark gets … Read more
Named for the shape of its head, which when observed from above resembles a cow’s nose, the cownose ray is a moderately sized stingray native to the western Atlantic Ocean. Like all eagle rays, cownose rays are active swimmers and are rarely found lying motionless on the seafloor like the closely related whiptail stingrays (e.g., … Read more
Blue sharks are named for the striking blue coloration on their backs, making them the most distinctive of the requiem sharks. The contrast between their white underbelly and dark blue back is called counter-shading and helps provide camouflage for the shark as it swims in the open ocean. The blue shark is one of the … Read more
The nurse shark is one of the most commonly observed sharks on coral and rocky reefs of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean. Given that nurse sharks give live birth and that individuals (even juveniles) have relatively small home ranges, it is surprising that all individuals across this large, tropical … Read more
The longnose sawshark is one of seven species of sawsharks, noted for their long, flat rostrum (snout) that is covered with several large teeth on its left and right sides giving it the shape of a saw blade. This saw distinguishes sawsharks from all other species of fishes except the sawfishes. Though they look superficially … Read more
The giant manta ray is the largest ray and one of the largest fishes in the world. Reaching widths of up to 29 feet (8.8Â m), the manta rays are much larger than any other ray species. For many decades, there was only one known species of manta, but scientists recently divided that species into two: … Read more
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world, and like the largest fish (the whale shark) and the largest animal (the blue whale), basking sharks are filter feeders that eat tiny, planktonic prey. Reaching lengths of 40 feet (12 m) and resembling predatory sharks in appearance, the basking shark can give an … Read more
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.