Did you know that about 80% of the shark species have never attacked humans? Sharks are found in all the oceans of the world, but there are only four species that are considered dangerous: the great white shark (known to most of us courtesy of the movie "Jaws"), tiger shark, bull shark and oceanic whitetip shark. Humans are not the preferred food of sharks despite public hysteria and opinion to the contrary. Research suggests it to be a case of mistaken identity. Read about this and much more on this virtual tour of sharks.

Objectives

• Students will be introduced to sharks and their environment.
• Students will learn why a shark is a fish and not a mammal.
• Students will be taken to various Web sites where they can research various types of information about sharks.
• Students will learn why sharks are on the endangered species list and learn about how they can participate in the conservation of these amazing animals.

Concepts

1. How many species of sharks are there?
2. Why do sharks attack humans?
3. What are sharks natural prey?
4. What is the largest shark?
5. How long have sharks existed?
6. In which parts of the world do you find sharks?
7. What senses do sharks use to detect their prey?

Terms To Learn