Sharks come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. To honor these incredible creatures, we've collected a list of sharks at the highest level. Which of these cartilage miracles is the biggest, fastest, and strangest? We got your answer here.
1: The largest shark
The biggest shark today is a gentle giant: the whale shark. According to the World Wildlife Fund, these filters are typically about 40 feet (12.1 meters) long and weigh about 11 tons (9,979 kilograms). They feed on plankton. Whale sharks are found in tropical and temperate waters around the world. They give birth to young lives, but scientists know almost nothing about their mating rituals or childbirth behavior (although researchers performed an ultrasound of female whale sharks near the Galapagos Islands in 2018, according to The Guardian). Scientists also don't know why these sharks sometimes make incredible dives at depths of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), a behavior that scientists have only begun to track in the last decade.
2: The smallest shark
At the other end of the size range is the dwarf lantern shark. This diminutive deep-sea dweller grew to only about 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) long. According to the Smithsonian Institution, few people have observed it given that it swims at depths of 928 to 1440 feet (283 to 439 m) below the surface. So far, the shark has only been seen in waters near Colombia and Venezuela. The pygmy lantern shark's abdomen is lined with a light emitter — a luminous organ that helps the shark maintain its camouflage. According to the Smithsonian Society, in shallower water, the soft glow blends in with sunlight filtered from the ocean's surface, and when sharks are trolling in deeper waters, the lights help attract prey.
Lantern sharks are a strange group. A close relative of the pygmy lantern shark, the viper horned shark, not only has a glowing belly, but also tusks and a goblin-like jaw.
3: The fastest shark
The short-fin mackerel shark is the fastest known shark. According to the Smithsonian Institution, this streamlined shark can swim at speeds of 31 mph (50 km/h) and pour down at short speeds of up to 46 mph (74 km/h). Shortfin mackerel sharks are top predators, using their speed to prey on bony fish. They are also professional jumpers, often jumping at least 10 feet (3 m) out of the water. Sharks are sometimes caught by deep-sea anglers and may jump into fishing boats (open in a new tab) in an attempt to get rid of the angler's hook.
The short-fin mackerel shark can grow up to 13 feet (4 m) long and is found in temperate and tropical oceans around the globe. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the grey mackerel shark as endangered, in part due to overfishing.
4: The longest-lived shark
The longest-lived shark also happens to be the record holder for the longest-lived vertebrates. Greenland sharks are known to have a long lifespan, but a 2016 study of shark lens layers found that these sharks ranged in age from 272 to 512 years. Despite the uncertainty of estimates, even lower numbers can win the trophy of shark longevity among vertebrate animal species.
According to the National Oceanic Administration, the Greenland shark is the only shark capable of surviving the cold year-round arctic ocean. Their metabolism is extremely slow, growing only about a centimeter a year — but when you live long enough, all those centimeters add up. Over their long lifetime, these sharks can grow up to 19.7 feet (6 m) from nose to tail.
5: The shark that migrates the farthest
Whale Shark is an excellent person. Not only does it hold the record for the largest shark, this calm creature also won the trophy with the farthest migration distance. In 2018, researchers reported in the journal Marine Biodiversity Record that they had flagged a female whale shark in Panama. After 841 days, she appeared near the Mariana Trench, a journey of 12,515.7 miles (20,142 kilometers).
It was the longest whale shark trip on record, but the study authors believe other tracking data suggest that whale sharks' long-distance trips are not uncommon. For example, the researchers wrote that whale sharks near the Galapagos Islands travel 41.6 miles (67 kilometers) a day, and other whale sharks with labels have also been tracked thousands of miles.
6: The deepest shark
Sharks have been spotted from the surface of the ocean to the deep sea. The lowest-lived shark ever found is the Portuguese horned shark, a relatively small shark that can grow to about 3 feet (0.94 m) long. These sharks are benthic, meaning they live on the ocean floor, and according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, they were found to depths of up to 12,057 feet (3,675 meters).
The Portuguese horned shark is usually black or dark brown and has about 98 teeth that these deep-sea hunters use to catch fish and cephalopods.
7: The most bizarre shark
It should be clear by now that sharks are a very diverse group. And, as in any family, in their numbers, they count as some real freaks. There are "pig fish" or horned sharks that, when pulled out of the water, sneezes like a pig. There is a pocket shark that is shaped like a small sperm whale. Due to their mottled camouflage and jagged sensory organs, they look like coarse-haired carpets.
But for our money, the strangest shark in the sea must be the frill shark. These elusive living fossils haven't changed much in 8 million years. They have long, eel-like bodies that can grow to about 6 feet (1.8 m) long, and since before the extinction of the dinosaurs, they have been trolling in the deep sea, catching prey with 300 pointed teeth. According to the Marine Conservancy, frill sharks are rarely seen because they live so deeply. Considering their rows of teeth and ominous, stick-like heads, that might be a good thing.