• There are approximately 390 different species of shark
• Shark pectoral fins work like aeroplane wings, creating ‘lift’ to determine its depth in the water
• Cartilage – like our noses and ears – makes up the skeleton of the shark
• The bull shark is the only shark that can live in both fresh and salt water
• More people die from bee stings than from shark attacks
• Sharks can only swim forwards
• There are 31 different shark species living in British coastal waters
• Smell is so important to a shark that two thirds of its brain is devoted to processing scent information
• Dwarf or pigmy sharks are just seven inches long
• Whale sharks can grow up to 50 feet in length and weigh 20 tonnes
• A huge oily liver gives sharks almost neutral buoyancy
• Sharks may have up to 3,000 teeth at any one time
• More people are struck by lightening each year than are attacked by sharks
• Mako sharks have been recorded at speeds of 43mph – making them the fastest
• Hong Kong imports shark fins from 125 countries and exports them to 75 countries
• Most sharks have around five rows of teeth
• More people die from coconuts falling on their heads than from shark attacks
• As the apex predator of the ocean, sharks help maintain the underwater eco system
• Sharks were around long before dinosaurs walked the earth
• Some sharks are now close to extinction due to man’s intervention

Only one species can save the shark…man