Shark Week

Sharks have a never-ending supply of teeth. They regenerate replacement dentition on an inexhaustible toothy conveyor belt ... which explains why you see so few shark dentists.

But sharks are not all about teeth, despite the bad press. Filter feeders like the megamouth shark, are mostly big (but harmless) mouths; the winghead shark has a head half the length of its body, and; the thresher sharks have a huge tai (ideal for stunning fish before eating them) that can be the same length as its body.

Lots of people are frightened of sharks. That makes some sense if you think all sharks are relentless man-eating teeth-machines, but in reality the vast majority of them are much more scared of us, or they should be. There are over 350 species of sharks around the world, but they don’t all get to grab the headlines or star in feature film franchises. So in honour of Shark Week, and to show you how daft it is to be irrationally fearful of some of these critters, here’s a quick guide to the silliest-named sharks in our oceans.

It’s Shark Week! This collection of photos from our archive supports Discovery Channel’s celebration of these amazing species and the television programme’s aim to raise awareness and respect for sharks.

It’s Shark Week. Despite us trying to tell you otherwise, some of you still worry about getting chomped by a shark. So, to allay your fears and help give you some practical ways to avoid being shark sushi, here is the handy Greenpeace guide to avoiding shark attacks.