Meet one of Earth's oldest and most successful groups of ocean predators.
Sharks are fish with skeletons made mostly of flexible cartilage instead of bone. Hundreds of shark species live around the world, ranging from small bottom-dwellers to the enormous whale shark.
Discover the special body features that help sharks move through the water.
Learn MoreLearn how sharks use smell, hearing, vision, and electrical signals.
Learn MoreCompare great whites, hammerheads, whale sharks, tiger sharks, and more.
Learn MoreSee why different sharks eat very different kinds of food.
Learn MoreDiscover the different ways young sharks begin their lives.
Learn MoreFind out why sharks can be important members of marine food webs.
Learn MoreSeparate common shark myths from what scientists actually know.
Learn MoreNot every shark hunts large animals. Depending on the species, sharks may eat fish, squid, shellfish, marine mammals, or plankton. Their teeth and feeding behaviors are adapted to the foods they are most likely to encounter.
Young sharks are called pups. Some species lay egg cases, while others give birth to live young after the pups develop inside the mother. Many shark species grow slowly and produce relatively few young, which can make populations slow to recover when their numbers decline.
Many sharks are predators that help influence the numbers and behavior of other ocean animals. This can affect entire food webs and contribute to balanced marine ecosystems. Other sharks occupy different feeding levels, showing that sharks have many ecological roles rather than just one.