Big & Small
There are many different sizes and shapes of sharks, but what about the smallest and largest fish? The smallest shark species today is the Caribbean Lanternshark. It only gets up to 50cm. There is not that much known about the Caribbean Lanternshark, but there is much known another smaller species of shark, the Horn Shark!
Horn Shark:
Max. Length: About 4 ft. Max. Weight: 10 kg (About 21-22 lbs) Diet: Crustaceans like crabs and shellfish, Sea Urchins Scientific Name: Heterodontus francisci The Horn Shark gets its name frm the horns that are just in front of its two dorsal fins. horn Sharks have many small teeth that work like a conveyor belt, crushing the shells of crustaceans. Its favorite food is the purple sea urchin, and it eats it so often that its teeth an horns actually turn purple after a while! All this is awesome, but what about the Whale Shark? |
Whale Shark:
Max. Length: 50 ft.
Max. Weight: 26,000 lbs (13 tons)
Diet: Zooplankton
Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus
These beauties can grow to be a monstrous 50 ft. long, making them easy to find, you would think! It's a wonderful heart-racing experience to find a whale shark, and they are so docile, cruising almost always at a steady 2mph through the oceans. People have been able to ride on the backs of whale sharks, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You can view 4 of these amazing fish at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, the largest aquarium complex in the world.
Many other large species of sharks include the Basking Shark, the Greenland Shark, the Megamouth Shark, the Great White Shark, and the Pacific Sleeper Shark.
This is the Basking Shark! I've come to nickname them "Bigmouth."
Max. Length: 50 ft.
Max. Weight: 26,000 lbs (13 tons)
Diet: Zooplankton
Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus
These beauties can grow to be a monstrous 50 ft. long, making them easy to find, you would think! It's a wonderful heart-racing experience to find a whale shark, and they are so docile, cruising almost always at a steady 2mph through the oceans. People have been able to ride on the backs of whale sharks, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You can view 4 of these amazing fish at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, the largest aquarium complex in the world.
Many other large species of sharks include the Basking Shark, the Greenland Shark, the Megamouth Shark, the Great White Shark, and the Pacific Sleeper Shark.
This is the Basking Shark! I've come to nickname them "Bigmouth."
Basking Shark:
Max. Length: About 37.5 ft.
Max. Weight: 4.95 tons (9,900 lbs)
Diet: Plankton, Krill
Scientific Name: Cetorhinus maximus
The Basking Shark is the second largest shark in the world, right behind the Whale Shark. These lazy fish swim with their mouths open nearly all day, filtering the water for tiny microscopic plankton that they feed on. The unwanted water is then pumped out of their gills. Since phytoplankton are tiny plants which capture sunlight through chlorophyll, they are abudnant near the surface on a sunny day, and that's why I believe they are called Basking Sharks, because it will be easy to find one on a sunny day! Just basking in the sun.
Max. Length: About 37.5 ft.
Max. Weight: 4.95 tons (9,900 lbs)
Diet: Plankton, Krill
Scientific Name: Cetorhinus maximus
The Basking Shark is the second largest shark in the world, right behind the Whale Shark. These lazy fish swim with their mouths open nearly all day, filtering the water for tiny microscopic plankton that they feed on. The unwanted water is then pumped out of their gills. Since phytoplankton are tiny plants which capture sunlight through chlorophyll, they are abudnant near the surface on a sunny day, and that's why I believe they are called Basking Sharks, because it will be easy to find one on a sunny day! Just basking in the sun.