The Beauty of Sharks

Sharks are some of the most fascinating beings on planet Earth. Sharks evolved over 450 million

years ago during the late Ordovician period. They have since been one of the ocean's greatest

predators. There is a vast variety in the genus of sharks, with over 500 known species. Sharks

have developed near sci-fi capabilities that most of the public knows nothing about.

Sharks have an ability called electroreception which allows them to sense electrical fields. Using

the pores in their snouts, this information is carried by a special gel to the shark's electroreceptors

that alert them to the electrical field. This ability is not spread evenly throughout every species of

shark, with hammerheads being able to sense electrical fields at the highest capacity.

Hammerhead sharks have more ability because of the shape of their heads. Because of the

surface area on their snouts, they have more pores that sense the electric fields. This is not the

full extent of the hammerhead’s great abilities. Because the hammerheads eyes are placed at

opposite ends of their heads, they have a near 360-degree view of the ocean around them.

These phenomenal abilities do not go unnoticed by researchers. In 2006, DARPA (Defense

Advanced Research Project Agency) did a study on sharks and their ability to sense electrical

fields, as they believed they could use it to advance the United States warfighting capabilities.

This study led to the US military putting implants in shark's brains that allows them to control

the movement of the shark. This can be used to survey enemy ships, or search for underwater

mines.

Sharks also have an uncanny ability to heal themselves at an astonishing rate. This is also studied

by medical researchers. It has also been noted that great white sharks have a much lower rate of

cancer than humans even though they can live upwards of seventy years. Whale sharks have

even been documented regrowing parts of their dorsal fins which had been severed.
Many consider sharks to be awe-inspiring creatures, but most do not know the extent of how

astonishing sharks truly are. As someone who has been obsessed with sharks for a greater part of

my life, I enjoy sharing my knowledge of these magnificent beings any chance I get. I became

interested in sharks watching National Geographic’s “Shark week” growing up and have been

eager for more knowledge about sharks ever since.