Sharks also die with a full set of teeth (Scarr 118). In addition, the bite of a shark can be extremely powerful and strong. "When a shark bites, the force of its bite can reach 8.25 tons per square inch (Scarr 119). That's pretty powerful. Along with the fact that shark teeth are not bones, the shark itself has no bones either. "Their!.
skeleton is totally made up of cartilage, besides their backbone, which is also reinforced with mineral deposits. This enables the shark to turn quickly and smoothly, and allows the shark to touch its head, to its tail if necessary." (Harrigan 61).
Most sharks do not get more than three feet long, and only five percent reach 4 feet long. Eighty percent of sharks are less than six feet long at full growth. The largest shark is the whale shark, which can be up to forty feet long, and the spiny pygmy shark, which is about eight inches long. Most sharks have a life span of about twenty-five years (Harrigan 61), but some sharks have been known to live a century (Brylske 6). Some people may think the older a shark gets and the bigger it gets, the more dangerous it gets, but that theory is wrong. Unlike most creatures, sharks are born with a full set of teeth, making the young sharks a threat. "The youngest sharks are known to be the most brazen. Even small sharks can inflict dangerous wounds." (Cousteau 236). So no matter how old, or what size the shark is, you should respect it the same.
Sharks are similar in what they eat, but their approaches to eating may differ. Some sharks may more aggressive or tame towards humans. Sharks are usually not pack hunters. They usually hunt their own food, but when sharks are together, they are different than other animals. Most predators will not allow other similar predators to feed off the same food and will fight to keep each other away. Sharks however, do not fight against each other when feeding. Sharks will feed on the same food by maneuvering for position.
