Know Your Sharks Pictures - Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE

Ragged Tooth, aka Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus)
Photograph by Petr Vostrovsky
Ragged tooth sharks, or "raggies," prefer to swim in coastal waters and around coral reefs, usually trolling over sandy or rocky ocean floors. They're bulky-bodied, maxing out at just over ten feet in length, and have a lifespan of over 15 years. Sand tigers are the only shark species that will actually swim to the surface, gulp air, and hold it in the stomach. This behavior allows them to stay buoyant and motionless in the water as they stalk prey (like rays, squid, crustaceans, and bony fishes). Despite their fierce appearance, sand tigers are a docile species, usually only attacking humans if provoked. There are less than 100 documented sand tiger attacks on record.
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Ragged Tooth, aka Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus)
Photograph by Petr Vostrovsky
In the womb, sand tiger embryos eat unfertilized eggs and cannibalize their siblings until just one or two large pups are left. The species only gives birth every two years. This low reproductive rate—combined with threats like commercial fishing, the meshing of beaches, and late maturity—have placed sand tiger sharks as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. While it's illegal to retain a sand tiger on the Atlantic coast, these sharks are a popular food source in Japan.
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Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus)
Photo courtesy Mark Addison
Blacktip sharks have been observed leaping from the water, spinning up to three times, and breaking the water's surface on their backs. It's believed that this is a feeding behavior. Blacktips eat a variety of things, including herring, catfish, shrimp, rays, crabs, and even smaller sharks. They will also follow fishing trawlers, scavenging up bits of bycatch and attacking speared fish, which has given them the nickname "sea jackals."
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Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus)
Photograph by Skye Ebden
Like blacktips, dusky sharks are known to trail after spear fishermen in hopes of scavenging up a quick meal. They're a large fish species with a rounded snout and sandy-colored tips on most fins. These fish weigh a whopping 400 pounds and can grow over 11 feet in length—but they're a slow-growing species and don't reach maturity until about 20 years of age. Compared to other sharks, duskys have a long lifespan—up to 40 years in the wild.
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Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)
Photograph by Skye Ebden
When they're patrolling the ocean floor looking for crabs, squid, small sharks, and schooling fish, bull sharks can appear docile and lethargic. But they're a powerful and agile species, capable of cruising at speeds over 11 miles per hour, and will often head-butt their quarry before attacking. Bull sharks can be identified by their blunt snout, stocky body, small eyes, and saw-edged teeth. At present, these sharks are not listed as vulnerable or endangered.
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Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
Photograph by Amanda Cotton
Tiger sharks are notorious for eating almost anything. Researchers have found all sorts of things—from sea turtle shells to birds to plastic bottles—in their stomachs. They generally hunt alone at nighttime, scavenging the waters as they swim closer inshore and toward the surface. Tiger sharks are curious fish and considered potentially dangerous to humans. They're second only to great whites in recorded human attacks—but, due to their indiscriminate appetite, tiger sharks are less likely to swim away after biting a human. However, attacks are atypical, and someone swimming off the coast of Hawaii is 40 times more likely to drown than be bitten by a tiger shark.
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Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
Photograph by Skye Ebden
Despite being a top predator in its range, the tiger shark is a near threatened species. They're routinely hunted for their skin, flesh, fins, and organs. These formidable fish can grow over 20 feet in length and top the scales at almost 2,000 pounds. They're known to migrate long distances to reach warmer waters in the winter months.
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Great White (Carcharodon carcharias)
Photograph by LeicaFoto
Possibly the most feared predator on the planet, the great white tops the list of sharks most likely to attack humans. But despite this terrifying title, great whites have an exaggerated reputation and are historically responsible for less than 300 unprovoked incidents around the globe. It's 30 times more likely for someone to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark. In actuality, the majority of a great white's diet is made up of fish, turtles, dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, and seals. It's believed that when great whites attack humans, it's more likely due to their natural curiosity rather than their appetite.
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Great White (Carcharodon carcharias)
Photograph by Skye Ebden
Great white sharks, with their powerful, torpedo-shaped bodies, are the biggest predatory fish in the world. They can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and grow to an average of 15 feet in length. Great whites have an excellent sense of smell. And, through electromagnetic sensors in their pointed snouts, these giant fish are able to pinpoint a drop of blood from over a mile away and a seal colony from two miles' distance.
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