How Many Teeth Do Sharks Have?

Sharks are known for their impressive set of gnashers, with some species having hundreds or even thousands of teeth. The number of teeth varies among different shark species. It’s worth noting that sharks continuously shed and replace their teeth throughout their lives.

Great White Sharks can have up to 300 teeth at any given time. They have multiple rows of teeth, typically around five, with new teeth developing to replace lost or damaged ones whenever they’re needed.

How Many Rows of Teeth Do Sharks Have?

When it comes to shark teeth, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to how many teeth they have, it is entirely dependent on the species of shark. As mentioned earlier, great white sharks typically have around five rows of teeth. These rows are staggered, with new teeth constantly moving forward to replace older ones. This arrangement ensures that they always have a sharp set of teeth ready to hunt.

Do Basking Sharks Have Teeth?

Basking sharks, in contrast to great whites and many other predatory shark species, have small, hook-like teeth that are quite different from the sharp, serrated teeth of predators. These teeth are not used for capturing prey but are vestigial remnants of their evolutionary history. Basking sharks primarily rely on their gill rakers to filter out plankton and other small organisms from the water.

Can Basking Sharks Close Their Mouths?

While most sharks can close their mouths to some extent, basking sharks (the second-largest shark species) have an interesting adaptation. As basking sharks primarily feed on plankton, they have mouths that are adapted for filter-feeding. Their mouths are designed to remain open as they swim. This allows them to filter tiny organisms from the water – talk about eating on the go!

What Are Shark Teeth Made Of?

Shark teeth are not made of bone, as some might assume, but rather of a hard material called dentin. Dentin is similar in composition to our teeth. It provides the hardness and durability required for a shark’s predatory lifestyle. The outer layer of a shark’s tooth is covered in enamel, which is even harder than dentin and helps maintain the sharpness of the tooth.

How to Identify a Shark’s Tooth

Identifying a shark’s tooth can be an exciting and fascinating endeavour for beachgoers and fossil enthusiasts. Shark teeth come in various shapes and sizes, which can be helpful in identifying the species they belong to. For example, the triangular teeth of a great white shark are distinct from the narrow, pointed teeth of a tiger shark.

The location where you find a shark tooth can also provide clues about the species. For instance, some species of sharks have specific geographic ranges, so finding a particular type of tooth in a specific location can indicate the presence of that shark species.

Are Shark Teeth Black?

When a shark is alive, their teeth can come in several different colours but are usually white in colour. Fossilised shark teeth have often absorbed lots of minerals by the time they’re discovered, meaning they will darken over time.

Shark teeth are not only essential tools for survival but also objects of fascination and discovery for many enthusiasts. Understanding the diversity of shark teeth, their structure, and their functions adds to our appreciation of these incredible marine creatures. Whether you’re combing the beach for shark teeth or simply curious about these apex predators, knowing more about their dental wonders can enhance your connection to the underwater world.

Come and check out our very own species of sharks and see if you can spot their teeth as they swim past! Book your tickets today to get the chance to see some of the world’s most fascinating marine life up close.

There’s an important question, that’s troubled people for a long time, which are better Dinosaurs or Sharks?

In this post we’ll go through some examples of both, to help answer this age-old question. We’ll look at a variety of factors, such as how long have they existed? Which is bigger? The most famous? Which is the weirdest? By the end, hopefully, you will be able to make a decision!

Dinosaurs Vs Sharks Round 1 Weirdest:

Sharks or Dinosaurs, which is weirdest? This one was a toughie. There are some absolutely mind-bending examples for both. We’ve picked out an interesting contender from each camp to go head-to-head!

Sharks – Goblin shark:

There are so many wonderful examples of truly weird sharks such as Frilled Sharks, Cookiecutter sharks, Hammerhead Sharks and Ornate Wobbegongs. I think the Goblin Shark tops the bill for me. This strange benthic (Benthic means it lives on the ocean floor) species isn’t about to win a beauty pageant. Its skin tends to be bright pink, with a long protruding snout and a jaw below it that can extend far out of its mouth!

Dinosaurs – Parasaurolophus:

This dinosaur reached lengths of 10 meters. It has extensions on the back of its skull. These had acoustic qualities and it’s believed it used to make loud trumpeting calls over large distances. If you ask me, it’s pretty strange having a trumpet on your head!

Round 2 Biggest:

Sharks – Megalodon

These huge sharks are believed to be the largest fish that ever lived (though the Blue Whale remains the largest animal to ever live that we know of!) with females reaching lengths of approximately 18 meters. The diameter of their bite was around 3 meters! Some experts date the Megalodon back between 145 to 66 million years ago. Weighing in at roughly 6500kg.

Dinosaurs – Titanosaurs

There’s a range of titanosaurs, some huge and some small – Titanosauria is a family of dinosaurs, with remains found across seven continents. They thrived right up to the end of the Cretaceous. With remains often being incomplete, it means we know little about them, unfortunately. One of the largest is the Patagotitan. Discovered in Patagonia, Argentina in 2014. With estimated sizes of 40m long and weighing in at an estimated 7700kg! It would have been truly massive!

Round 3 Fame:

Sharks – Great White Sharks

Thanks to the efforts of books and movies for years now the Great white is undeniably a famous species of shark. Instantly recognisable and often the image that jumps to mind when you hear the word shark. Often displayed as a relentless eating machine, set on devouring everything it comes across. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Between 2011 and 2017, 259 people died in selfie-taking related accidents, compared to 50 people killed by sharks!

The Sand Tiger Sharks at Blue Planet Aquarium are a close relative to the Great White!

Dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus Rex

I think this has to be the world’s most famous dinosaur. Even earned a nickname, often simply called T. Rex. It is the leading dinosaur in countless movies and books, subject to huge budget documentaries and captivated people’s imaginations for over 100 years. The first remains were discovered in 1902 in Hell Creek, Montana. Making its first appearance in the movies 16 years later in 1918’s “The Ghost of Slumber Mountain”

This was a difficult one, as Triceratops and Velociraptor were definitely in the running, I’ve gone for T. Rex because of the iconic imagery a certain popular dinosaur-based movie franchise uses in its films to this day. Most importantly (to me at least) Tyrannosaurus Rex was the first dinosaur my son learned to point out. Though at 18 months old it came out garbled as “danasaras ex!”

Round 4 Which came first?

Sharks

These guys are ancient, with the earliest fossil evidence being as old as 450 million years, during the late Ordovician period. Sharks have seriously evolved as predators, surviving through 4 of the “big five” mass extinction events.

Sharks are even older than trees. Trees are understood to have emerged between 350 to 420 million years ago. Only a few creatures predate sharks, things such as Nautilus, Jellyfish, Ctenophores and Sponges.

Dinosaurs

Nyasasaurus parringtoni is currently believed to be the oldest dinosaur. Remains discovered in Tanzania are roughly 243 million years old. Footprints were found from early dinosauriforms dating to the early Triassic nearly 250 million years ago.

Sharks date back much longer than dinosaurs, a whole 200 million years!

Conclusion:

It’s still difficult to choose, they’re both pretty cool! We still share our planet with a whole range of sharks that aren’t too dissimilar to their ancient counterparts. The fact that we can still respectfully admire these creatures means I’m going to go with the Sharks!

The winner is:

Sharks!

Shark Conservation

Due to environmental pressures such as climate change and the human impact on their habitats, 1 in 3 Sharks and Rays face the threat of extinction.

We can still do a lot to save and coexist harmoniously with sharks around the world. We should do all we can to look after them. They’ve survived some serious extinction events before, I believe we shouldn’t be responsible for them disappearing now.

If you would like to help in the effort to save sharks check out these organisations:

Bite-Back: Set up in 2004 with the aim of combating overfishing and overconsumption of wild sea fish.

The Shark Trust: Who makes it their mission to safeguard the future of sharks through positive change. Achieving this through science, education, influence and action.

Tags: Dinosaurs, Shark

Sand Tiger Sharks – Looks can be deceiving

Sand Tiger Sharks look scary at first glance with their long, sleek, grey bodies and pointed snouts. Also, take a look at their wide mouth full to the brim of vicious-looking teeth! Growing up to 3.2 metres long and weighing an extraordinary amount, they’re imposing. However, they’re quite docile.

Habitat

These sharks tend to inhabit the continental shelf from sandy shores and deep reefs. This is where they get the sand in their names. You’ll find them in warm waters across the world. Including Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the east coast of the Americas. They even lived in the Mediterranean. They’re now believed to be extinct in the area, due to no sightings for some time.

Behaviour

You’ll find Sand Tiger Sharks between the surface and depths of 200 meters. They’re the only shark we’re aware of that come to the surface to gulp air. They store air in their stomachs. This stored air means they’re able to float relatively still at a particular depth. Allowing them to efficiently stalk prey. Including small fish, crustaceans, and squid. They sometimes hunt in groups and can live in ‘Shivers’ within their habitat.

Threat of extinction

As we mentioned, Sand Tiger Sharks are widespread. Unfortunately, they have a very low reproduction rate. Making them vulnerable to population decline through external factors. Things like the destruction of coral reefs, the shark-fin trade and fishing by-catch. Sand Tiger Sharks are on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered.

The Sand Tiger Sharks of Blue Planet Aquarium

There are six Sand Tiger Sharks that call Blue Planet Aquarium home. Two females, Wilma and Betty. Four males, Alfie, Dave, Dingle and Flare. Betty is by far the largest, we estimate she’s about 36 stone and roughly 3 metres in length. Flare is the most recognisable with his extended jaw and prominent teeth. Dave is the smallest, only recently arriving at Blue Planet. Wilma is the eldest, with our records having her at a minimum of 25 years old. Alfie is the diver’s favourite and the most photogenic, he always seems to get the best photos! Dingle is our largest male and is a bit of a lovable giant.

Where to find them

You’ll find the Sand Tigers in our Ocean Exhibit, from our Aquatheatre window and all along the Shark Tunnel. You can’t miss them. They are the largest sharks that live at Blue Planet.

Tags: Animal Spotlight, Sand Tiger Shark, Shark

Arabian Carpet Shark (Chiloscyllium arabicum)

Here at Blue Planet Aquarium, we have a large variety of sharks, from our giant Sand Tiger sharks to our smaller Arabian Carpet sharks. As smaller sharks, they frequently escape attention. Often found hiding in crevices along the reef, but do not be fooled by their elusive habits, they are excellent predators.

Arabian Carpet sharks are identifiable by their light brown appearance. They have around snout with a low jaw ideal for feeding off the reef floor. The dorsal fins are spineless and equal-sized and they have a long tail. These features allow flexibility around the reef and to hide effectively from potential predators. These like many sharks have five pairs of gill slits. However, carpet sharks like many bottom feeders have advanced spiracles located below the silvery eyes. Spiracles are the modified gill slits that allow the shark to breathe while stationary and enable the species to happily lie motionless in the water, avoiding predation and conserving energy. This adaptation has become recessive in many open water sharks. Arabians grow to four feet in length, this can take around three to five years depending on food availability.

Their habitats

Primarily found in tropical lagoons, in and around coral reefs and mangroves of the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. In the Arabian Peninsula habitat loss and commercial fishing have caused a drastic decline in the shark population within the last decade. The Arabian carpet shark is classified as a near-threatened species, meaning that its wild population is in decline. Despite this, there are no current conservation protection policies in place.

The Arabian Carpet Sharks of Blue Planet

At the aquarium we have nine mature adults helping us boost the species numbers, by allowing them to reproduce naturally in a predator-free environment and replicating cracks and crevices similar to a reef to hide in.
Our active adults mate throughout the year. The females are oviparous meaning they produce egg cases. Made of collagen, they’re commonly known as Mermaid’s Purses. Often they have lots of tendrils, these help them to attach to rocks when deposited. The eggs often contain a yolk, which if fertilised will develop into a juvenile shark after 70-80 days. These newly hatched sharks are only 8cm in length and are ready to hunt. Juveniles look very different to adults as they are black and white, with markings unique to the individual. As they continue to grow their markings change, until adult size.

You can see our baby sharks during your visit, they are usually at the end of the tunnel! Once the juveniles reach six months old we target train them ready to enter our larger display named Coral Cave. These captive-reared sharks will eventually re-enter our main tank and continue the circle of life.

Blog by: Abigail Green-Morris, Aquarist at Blue Planet Aquarium and Donovan Lewis, Diver at Blue Planet Aquarium.

Tags: Shark, Blue Planet Aquarium

Comparing the size of sharks from great whites to whale sharks, there’s no denying that some sharks are true behemoths of the sea. But how do sharks measure up against us humans? And are they really as imposingly large as you might think?

To find out, we’re taking a look at 10 different species of sharks. How they size up against both us and each other.

Whale Shark

Redefining the term ‘gentle giant’, the majestic whale shark is the largest fish in our seas. Comparing the size of sharks to humans, they’re 10 times the length. Nevertheless, these huge filter feeders are entirely harmless. Their gentle nature means they’re one of the most popular sharks to dive with. Remarkably, some of the largest whale sharks weigh in at 30 tonnes – four times heavier than an African bull elephant.

Basking Shark

Basking sharks have one of the most impressive mouths of the deep. Their jaws are able to open over a metre wide. Happily, like their slightly larger cousins, they’re filter feeders and pose little risk to humans. This is a good job, as comparing the size of sharks to humans, they’d almost certainly be able to swallow a person whole. Basking sharks travel vast distances on their annual migration and have been sighted in UK waters.

Megamouth Shark

As its name suggests, the megamouth shark is known for its huge mouth. Like basking and whale sharks, it uses for swallowing up masses of plankton in one tremendous gulp. Despite its cool name and large size, little is known about the megamouth, and it wasn’t discovered until 1976. Believed to be migratory, most sightings of the megamouth have occurred in the Pacific Ocean. This is where it’s known to feed on plankton and jellyfish.

Greenland Shark

Like the megamouth, little is known about the Greenland shark. Save for the fact that they live a very, very long time. This is thought to be due to the cold waters in which they live slowing their metabolism. This means they reach maturity much later than other sharks. The largest Greenland shark ever recorded was 7.3 metres. However, biologists agree that there may be much bigger individuals in the deep.

Great White Shark

With size, strength and over 300 razor-sharp teeth; great white sharks are truly formidable predators. On average, adult great whites measure in at around 4.5 metres, though many grow much bigger, up to 6 metres. But while they may be one of the ocean’s top apex predators, great whites are not innately aggressive to humans. They attack out of curiosity rather than the want of a meal. Instead, they prefer to feed on fattier prey, like seals, sea lions and even small whales.

Great Hammerhead Shark

The otherworldly great hammerhead is one of the most unique species of shark, for obvious reasons. Native to tropical waters, these unusual creatures feed along the seabed. They use their excellent vision and electrical signals to hunt their preferred meal, stingrays. Sadly, their long fins make them a lucrative target for the shark fin trade. This has led to them now being classified as critically endangered.

Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

The bluntnose sixgill shark is the largest species of fossil shark. A family of primordial marine creatures which have been around since the Jurassic period. These deep-water predators are identified by their flat heads, yellow teeth, long tail and their unique row of six-gill flaps. Despite its size, the Sixgill isn’t an apex predator. It is vulnerable to a handful of other animals, including killer whales, great white sharks and the Steller sea lion.

Common Thresher Shark

Often sighted in UK waters; the common thresher shark is a member of the thresher family, a genus of shark recognised for their long tailfins. Found throughout the world’s oceans, except for the polar regions. The Common Thresher is the largest, with its tail alone being longer than the average human. The thresher’s greatest strength is its speed. Its massive tailfin helps it glide through the water at an eye-popping pace.

Sand Tiger Shark

Native to the subtropical and temperate waters of the continental shelf. The Sand Tiger Shark is a relatively placid, slow-swimming shark. Sand Tigers are regularly sighted in the waters of Japan, South Africa as well as some parts of the Mediterranean. Visitors to Blue Planet Aquarium can get up close to this wonderful species in our Underwater Shark Tunnel exhibit.

Dwarf Lanternfish

Demonstrating the remarkable biodiversity of sharks, we have the Dwarf Lanternfish, the smallest shark species in the world. Native only to the continental slopes of Colombia and Venezuela. This little-known creature is a type of dogfish shark, which grows to a maximum of 20 cm. In comparison to Whale Sharks, it’s hard to believe that these remarkable animals are part of the same group.

At Blue Planet Aquarium, we believe that sharks of all shapes and sizes are incredibly fascinating. From the smallest species to the biggest predators.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this in-depth look at different shark species and how they measure up against us humans. For close encounters with sharks and other creatures of the deep, join us for an educational visit to Blue Planet Aquarium. Find ticket and visitor information on our homepage.