The heaviest animal in the world. How much do a blue whale, an elephant and a hippopotamus weigh?

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It is known that the largest animals in the world are marine inhabitants. Their sizes are sometimes truly impressive, reaching dizzying values. Speaking of a category like the most big shark , in first place here we can put whale (Rhincodon typus).

Everyone is familiar with this name, however, not everyone knows that it belongs to two different types marine individuals that belong to completely different families - southern and northern. Accordingly, southern whale sharks live in the tropics, while northern giant sharks live in cold waters.

The size of such a fish reaches 23 meters, and its weight is 20 tons. Thus, only giant whales, which can be included in the list, can compete in size with a whale shark. Despite its impressive size and menacing appearance, biggest shark is not at all dangerous to humans, because feeds on ordinary plankton, like whales. Adults prefer to filter water near the surface of the ocean, while young ones live in the depths.

The whale shark is one of the calmest and peaceful fish: she never attacks others, like her bloodthirsty relatives sea ​​creatures- squid, fish, octopus, dolphins and seals. Scuba divers often get very close to this fish, take pictures, touch it, and even try to ride it.

The whale shark's eyes are tiny, but its mouth and gill slits are huge. Its wide opening of the mouth is equipped with no less than 15 thousand small teeth - it stretches from eye to eye. Up to five adults could easily fit in such a huge mouth. The whale shark has a beautiful color; she behaves calmly in the sea space, because she has practically no opponents. A whale shark eats up to 200 kilograms of small crustaceans and plankton per day, pumping up to 350 tons of water through itself. Interestingly, the eggs of this sea creature are the size of a pillow and have the same shape - quadrangular.

A worthy competitor, sharing first place with the whale shark in terms of its dimensions, is giant shark, or ivory - Cetorhinus maximus(translated as “big” sea ​​monster"). To be more precise, the elephant shark ranks second after the whale shark, because its maximum length is fifteen meters and its weight is six tons. Few people know that such a huge shark is inferior in size to... a jellyfish! In America, a shark was discovered whose length was twice that of an elephant shark, namely - 37 meters. Such truly gigantic jellyfish are related to, and in some cases even surpass in size, blue whales.

Thus, the first is inferior to the second by an average of five meters: we are, of course, talking about the largest individuals, which are found in single copies. These huge fish, which have a somewhat extravagant appearance - it’s all about the interesting shape of their mouth - are today on the verge of complete extinction, therefore they are listed in the International Red Book. In natural conditions, elephant sharks are becoming increasingly rare. The reason for this is poaching, as well as a long period of gestation by a shark, plus a long period of time during the transition to sexual maturity.

Those lucky ones who managed to see the elephant shark in its natural habitat will remember its original appearance for the rest of their lives. The most striking and unusual thing for our perception here is the widely spread shark mouth, which resembles an open bag of incredible size with a cartilaginous frame inside. This is exactly how the giant feeds: with its huge mouth wide open, it plows through the oceans, collecting, like a net, all the small marine life inside, which mainly includes plankton and crustaceans. Huge gill slits are visible inside the mouth. They perform an important function: each such gill contains more than a thousand gill horny villi, which serve to catch planktonic organisms from the water - all this resembles a giant filter.

In front and in the upper part of the giant mouth, which is slightly elongated vertically (unlike the whale shark, whose mouth opening is horizontal), there is an elongated nose. In this way, the elephant shark is similar to its predatory counterparts - its harmlessness is revealed only by the absence of terrible teeth. Why does the elephant shark have such a name? The fact is that some young individuals of this fish have a laterally compressed nose, which hangs over the mouth like a trunk - the picture is complemented by a head flattened on the sides. All this makes her look like an old elephant with sunken cheeks. Adult giants bear virtually no resemblance to elephants. Everything else Cetorhinus maximus no different from an ordinary predatory shark.

Its body is long and dense, its head is quite large, its gill slits are of impressive length, and there are two fins on its back - the first, or anterior, is slightly larger than the second, posterior. One fin on the tail and two in the front of the belly; the tail has an asymmetrical shape - top part more than the bottom one. The color of the elephant shark is much simpler than that of the whale shark: it has a dark gray color on the back and a slightly lighter shade on the belly. Sometimes you can find individuals that have brown, black and even spotted colors on their backs. From a distance, due to its body shape and coloring, this fish can be confused with a white shark. The giant's eyes are very small, however, with the help of them the fish can clearly distinguish what is happening around it.

From a distance it may seem that the elephant shark has no teeth at all. In fact, they exist, but they are very small - no more than five to six millimeters in length. Of course, this fish simply does not need large teeth, because... its food is zooplankton, which it filters out using gill rakers. But the stomach of this giant is truly huge: in some caught specimens, more than one ton of mass was found in it, consisting of all kinds of marine trifles. The elephant shark swims quite slowly - about three to four kilometers per hour - while at the same time opening its mouth wide, which allows it to pump a truly gigantic amount of water through itself. On average, a shark filters up to five tons of sea “soup” in one hour.

Unlike the whale shark, which stays in upper layers, giant ones often descend to a considerable depth - up to one kilometer. This mainly happens in winter time- when the upper layers of water become poor in food. In summer, “elephants” gather in large flocks of 20-30 individuals and rise higher - they can even be seen from a ship or plane. Basking sharks live in both the northern and southern hemispheres - mainly in cool or temperate waters. The fact is that it is this kind of water that is most rich in the above-mentioned planktonic organisms, which are not capable of migrating over long distances.

Sometimes the question may arise - how can such giants as elephant and whale sharks manage to ensure their existence without a hunger strike? After all, plankton are extremely small creatures. The whole point, of course, is the level of concentration of this “food filler” in the water. Actually about lack of food sea ​​giants there is no need to think, because The total mass of plankton in quantitative terms exceeds the mass of all other marine life by thousands of times. Therefore, not only today, but also for many years to come, all aquatic giants are one hundred percent provided with food. On top of that, it is worth mentioning the research that was carried out by the Marine Biological Association from Plymouth (in the USA). Over the course of three years, she monitored twenty basking sharks, each with a satellite radio transmitter attached to it. Studies have shown that in order to provide themselves with food, elephant sharks are able to swim vast distances while simultaneously diving to great depths.

In conclusion, we can talk about the ballast of the elephant shark - its giant liver. At the same time, allowing the fish to freely dive to a kilometer depth, it is often the subject of fishing for this fish. The fact is that shark liver is very fatty - it is often used to obtain expensive oils, which are then used in perfumery and pharmacology. So, from one individual you can get up to eight hundred liters of such fat, and from the largest one - up to two thousand liters. In total, shark liver makes up about 20 percent of its total weight.

As for predatory individuals, here world's largest shark- white. In every way she is the greatest sea predator. The average body length of this fish reaches five meters. The largest representative of this species was a female caught off the Caribbean coast in 1945: her body length was 6.4 meters and her weight was 3.5 tons.

The power of the white shark's jaws is enormous: it boldly attacks boats with fishermen and smashes them to pieces. There is also information not confirmed by photographs: in 1930, the crew of a Portuguese fishing trawler managed to catch white shark 12.5 meters long.

Especially for the Unimaginarium,
Mila Shurok

I was asked a good question: “How to build operational management in a company where everyone is crazy about project activities?. This is a great question because it reflects many trends that exist in modern business. It generated a stream of thoughts. Which I wanted to write down, at the same time talking about those myths that walk around the market and infect the brains of entrepreneurs and managers. I would like to immediately warn the reader that the thoughts are multidirectional and I did not even make any serious attempts to structure them, and I made subheadings simply to make it easier to understand.

What do an organization and a computer have in common?

First, let's compare an organization to a computer. Without an operating system, it's just a piece of hardware. High-tech, expensive, but still a piece of hardware. Which may please the eye, but will no longer bring any benefit. A fully equipped office without employees can look something like this. Or with employees who do not communicate with each other, they come to workplace and sit idle all day. That is, they could potentially be beneficial, but they don’t.

If operating system installed and working, then you can install application programs on it that do something useful. At the same time, the OS itself does not offer any visible results. It “only” ensures that programs can work. The quality of the operating system may vary. Some programmers deeply studied the capabilities of the hardware and wrote programs that ensure full functionality. Moreover, they created a complete guide for future application software developers. Others did it in a clumsy way so that it would somehow work. Moreover, in such a way that application programs can only be written by a die-hard fan who is not too lazy to figure out the properties of the system through trial and error. The first system will run any application software. The second has only a couple of programs, and even then with glitches.

People in an organization

Now let's get back to organizations. Everything here is very similar, but a little more complicated. The people who make up the executive mechanism of a company are initially equipped with an operating system. That is, they can think, speak, make decisions, and perform some operations with their hands. However, everyone has their own operating system. And it is not always compatible with a similar system of a neighbor. Therefore, an organization requires a set of rules that will not only make the mechanism work, but also ensure the compatibility of all components. I will not write in this article about how to do this. Because, firstly, this is a topic for other thoughts, and secondly, I write about this all the time.

Where are they looking for a way?

The market does not offer a universal way to build an organization that is suitable for a stall, a factory, or a trading company. Unless the state indicates several mandatory clauses of the charter, and sets requirements for formalizing relations with employees, transactions with partners and financial statements. Where do you get this set of rules from? Naturally, from those who have already managed to build effective organizations. Those who show high market results. The leaders.

And entrepreneurs rush to the extreme. Study the experience of successful companies. They read books about how to achieve success in business. And they are trying to apply the same rules in their companies. However... Attempts to transfer successful models control on most organizations most often fail. Where are the many Zappos? Where is Patagonia? Where are the Toyotas? Where is Tavrida Electric? They are all unique. Even though these companies actively share “secrets,” other places do not achieve the same employee engagement, quality, or relationships. So maybe the point is not what specific methodology is used in these companies? Could it be something to do with the business operating system? In those deep rules that are laid down in the system from the very beginning. Which are not visible to the naked eye, but have a critical impact on any process in the company. Let's figure it out.

What are entrepreneurs and managers actually trying to transfer to their companies? Regulations and work routine? Bonus rules? The essence of conversations in smoking rooms? Whatever the case. For the most part, they try to implement only theses that they have read in books, heard at seminars or received on excursions to successful enterprises. Theses that, in the opinion successful entrepreneurs, led their companies to success. “Organize processes”, “Take care of people”, “Count money correctly”, “Be active”, etc. I can say with confidence that these slogans have not changed from year to year for the last hundred years, at least. Only the faces on the covers and the examples given in the books themselves change.

What about technology?

But what about the control technologies themselves? There is little written about them in motivational literature. That is, there is a lot of talk about what needs to be done and very little about how. And this is where an army of consultants comes into play. Both professional and not so professional. Offering specific methods. Moreover, what is interesting is that the methods, as a rule, also do not shine with novelty. But they change names regularly. After all, teaching methods is a business like any other. And according to the laws of marketing, it must regularly offer the consumer a “new” product.

The success of consulting projects, in fact, is determined by only one thing: people do what is written in smart books or not. Maybe that’s why IT projects are the most successful. After their implementation, it is simply impossible not to fulfill the requirements - if you don’t press the button at the right time, you won’t get the result. True, many manage to ignore this, which is why expensive management software works on its own, and the managers are on their own.

Who is stronger - an elephant or a shark?

But you can regularly hear arguments reminiscent of “my kung fu is better than your kung fu.” This is argued by supporters of different approaches. “Project management is the only way,” some say. “We need structured management,” others answer. "Business processes!!!". “The linear-functional diagram is what will save the world!” "Matrix! Only the matrix! True, then they come to their workplaces and perform, with varying levels of quality, ordinary management actions (well, of course, if they have someone to manage): they set tasks, scold employees for mistakes, write down tasks in a diary and think about entrusting them to someone Or is it easier to do it yourself.

The essence of the disputes themselves most often lies in the fact that each of the disputants was at one time “pushed” by some specific methodology, to which he is now trying to adjust the whole world. Often without paying attention to whether the technique actually takes root. And this is a consequence of the fact that there are many developers of specific methodologies (although not so many), and few developers of integral models. But in fact, it is useless to argue about whether the process approach or the project approach is better. Each methodology must be applied at a specific point in time and be relevant to the tasks at hand. Both can exist without interfering with each other. And more often, helping. Arguing about whether to implement PMBOK or Agile (Yes! I’ve heard such a debate!) is generally harmful. For truth is not born in such a dispute, and those disputing, as a rule, do not possess either one or the other. But for apologists of this or that teaching, logic is not a decree. Some even declare the submission of regular reports a project.

Have you looked at the main thing?

In the meantime, it is worth remembering that any methodology is not an operating system. This is application software. Which is established on culture - a set of beliefs, traditions and rituals accepted in a particular country, locality and company. Is established on the core values ​​of employees and clients. And on the system of basic company regulations. Try, for example, to implement Agile in a company where it is not customary to strive for results, but there is a tradition of organizing a rush task at the end of each period. Or try to create Zappos where people don't like each other and compete for convenience and rewards. Or “Marriott” where there is a tradition of considering tourists as cattle. It should be remembered that such an “operating system” is often installed by default. And without replacing it with a more modern and technologically advanced product, it is simply impossible to think about using any methodology. First, you need to ensure “basic” things: basic regulations, labor discipline, motivation rules, etc. And to do this, you will have to remove all aggressive carriers of the old culture from the company, and convince the rest to create new traditions. Otherwise, the result will be the same as when trying to install an iPhone application on Android. That is, it can be written to memory, but it will not work. Although... you can be proud that you still have it. Already a lot. To be a source of pride, it doesn’t have to work at all (no, I’m not hinting at the turquoise Sberbank at all).

Long and hard

However, rebooting values, regulations, motivational systems, and ideology is long, tedious, difficult work and does not produce results “right here and now.” About the same as what is required to achieve results in the gym - you can’t do it with exercise equipment alone: ​​you need the right diet, the right routine, and even the right thoughts. Therefore, most people skip this part and immediately move on to studying and implementing the “magic wand”. Just like in the gym, beginners immediately grab the heaviest barbell, causing injury to themselves and completely discouraging the desire to continue training. And magic wands are divided into two categories: those that give at least some result, slightly changing the worldview of the entrepreneur himself, and those that give no result at all. The first to stick are entrepreneurs who acquire a strong belief that there is a universal way to improve the company. The latter also stick, but they make you believe that there is no universal way to improve. Or rather, that there are no ways at all. Then the conversations go like this: “We tried this and that. Nothing works because we didn’t succeed.” Both are bullshit.

Fairy tales you want to believe in

But still, many believe that somewhere there is mysterious people, with an unattainable intellect and worldview, who managed to create something successful, despite the fact that it contradicts elementary logic. But it looks like it's filming a large number of burden on the entrepreneur. For example, many companies rave about “flat” structures. In reality, I have not yet seen a single such structure working and producing results. Most often, these are systems that overload managers with control and lose efficiency. And the most responsible employees work for everyone else, only at the same time they do not have real powers, because they are now called not managers, but “mentors” or something else. But a normal hierarchy is necessary for any company.

Or they believe that there are IT systems that take companies to a new level. However, no system will work for employees. It can only force them to take certain actions and reduce the number of employees themselves, reducing Negative influence human factor. But is this a new level?

And many entrepreneurs believe that by using clever tools they can get their employees to think like them. They believe that leadership can be taught. And at the same time, there is a magical way to accomplish all this without changing their own habits. Well...crystal balls and proprietary remedies have always found their audience.

Come on, this reality

Once upon a time, I also believed that there are secrets that simply need to be found out in order to create ideal systems. And then it turned out that there was only one secret. Those who achieve real success or have a unique product that provides the company with leadership in a certain segment for a certain time, which is enough to build a “modern technology” company. Or there is a monopoly. Or a unique manager who managed to infect the entire company with his ideas. And all these companies have a built-in system of regulations, rules and ideas. The correct operating system is in place, without which all the “secrets” become useless. But it's harder to believe. There's nothing magical about it.

Damn work

Well, ending this chaotic stream of thoughts, I’ll answer one question, “What should I do?” that entrepreneurs and managers regularly ask me. Work. And hope not for a miracle, but for the painstaking construction of the system. That is, in fact, on yourself.

Go to the section table of contents:Sharks

Family: Cetornidae = Basking sharks

Genus: Cetorhinus = Basking sharks

Elephant shark = Basking shark

L.A. BELOVA

In the winter of 1939 on the shore Atlantic Ocean, near Provincetown in American state Massachusetts, the sea-bleached skeleton of a huge animal was found. Its length was about 7.5 m. And although the huge skull resembled the skull of a fish, the four truncated legs, or rather the “bones” from them, and the long elongated spine caused bewilderment. Soon people were talking about the “sea serpent” all along the coast.

But, as it turned out, years ago this belonged to the giant shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - the second largest shark extant today. This fish can reach 14 m in length and weigh up to 10 tons. This is only slightly less than the “record holder” - the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Pectoral fins Giant sharks are large and powerful - they serve as “bearing planes” that prevent the heavy front half of the fish’s body from falling down when swimming. When the body of a dead giant shark washes ashore and the soft tissues decompose, the remains of these fins are preserved next to the elongated skull and long spine. And if it was a male shark, then near the skeleton you can also find a couple of meter-long pterygopodia. As a result, it seems that the remains of some mysterious four-legged creature lie on the shore.

Very large specimens of the giant shark are rare, but even “small” individuals of this species look impressive - their average length 4–8 m, and weight – from 3 to 6 tons. Despite its terrifying appearance, the giant shark is a harmless creature. This fish feeds on plankton, which it collects by cruising near the surface of the water at a speed of two to three knots (3–5 km/h) with its mouth wide open and filtering through its gills up to 2000, and according to other sources, up to 6000 tons of water every hour. The teeth of the giant shark are small, no more than 0.5 cm. But the gill slits are huge - they cover the head from the back to the throat, and when the fish protrudes its gills, it seems that its head is about to break off from the body. And through the open mouth you can see the inside of the gill cavity. Each gill arch carries 1000–1300 long horny gills ridges on which planktonic organisms settle. The stomach of the giant shark is very large; in large specimens, about 1 ton of planktonic mass was found in it.

In some young specimens of the giant shark, the laterally compressed snout hangs over the mouth like a trunk, and the head is flattened on the sides, which gives the fish a resemblance to an old elephant with sunken cheeks. Such fish were called “elephant sharks”, and they were long considered representatives a separate type. In adult basking sharks, the snout is less curved, and the resemblance to an elephant disappears.

The giant shark lives in moderately cold and temperate waters of both hemispheres. Individual specimens are also found here - off the coast of the Kola Peninsula and even in the White Sea. In summer, basking sharks actively feed or drift slowly, protruding their dorsal and caudal fins and the tip of their snout from the water. For this, the British call them basking shark - a shark basking in the sun. These fish live alone or in small groups.

Almost nothing is known about the reproduction of the basking shark. The smallest fish of this species ever caught had a length of 165 cm. Based on indirect data, it can be judged that these sharks are ovoviviparous and give birth to 1–2 cubs, and the “pregnancy” lasts at least 3 years.

In winter, when the number of planktonic organisms drops and the water temperature becomes low, basking sharks are practically invisible. Many researchers believe that at this time, the energy expenditure when swimming to collect plankton would be much higher than the shark could obtain from food. Therefore, these fish are probably inactive during the winter, which allows them to economically use up the fat reserves accumulated in the summer. They lie passively on the ocean floor in such a position that the current ensures the flow of water through the gills. But what the situation really is is unknown - maybe the fish simply migrate south and stay far from the shores.

Fat reserves are deposited mainly in the liver, the weight of which can be up to 20% of the total weight of the fish. Because of this oil, which was used for technical purposes, basking sharks have long been hunted along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Seeing an animal grazing in plankton fields, hunters approached it in boats or small vessels and hurled harpoons at it. When it became known that shark liver oil contains more vitamins than the classic “fish oil” - cod, the demand for basking sharks increased sharply. Especially many sharks were caught during World War II. Then the boom passed, but the reserves of these amazing fish turned out to be undermined. Nowadays the giant shark is rare and is listed in the International Red Book...

You stand on the ocean shore, look at the endless expanses, and the thought involuntarily creeps in, what kind of inhabitants are hidden by the thickness of the water?

Animal world People primarily associate the seas and oceans with whales and sharks, so quite often you can hear the question, what are the largest animals in the world?

Let's try to deal with giant water monsters and identify the tallest inhabitants of the oceans and seas.

Everyone knows from childhood that the largest animal on the planet is the whale. If you believe distant ancestors, then three such animals held the Earth on their backs. Well, if we turn to science, it turns out that the largest (of those who were measured) specimen of the blue (blue) whale grew to 33.58 meters, and it was a female. The heaviest blue whale(of those caught) weighed more than 190 tons. And then, the specialists had to weigh the record holder in parts, so the error was huge. One way or another, the result is impressive. Because 190 tons is the mass of two dozen elephants.

By the way, the blue whale is also considered the most vocal animal in the world. It can make sounds that can be heard 800 kilometers and further.

However, it is not easy for a whale to win the palm in the race for the title of the largest animal on the planet. Some other inhabitants of the planet are also taking part in the dispute, which, by the way, continues even now. And all of them, oddly enough, are sea inhabitants. There are even semi-mythical ones on the list, the existence of which is only guessed at. For example, megalodon. Many fans of sensations are trying to question the fact of its extinction to this day. There are even witnesses who observed giant sharks, and they say that it was not a whale or even a whale shark. But it is worth noting the real representatives of the fauna who are fighting for the title of the largest animal on Earth. More precisely, to say the longest. This giant jellyfish lion's mane or cyanide. Broadband giant water world can grow up to 37 meters (including tentacles). The diameter of the umbrella of this living creature is approximately 250 centimeters. And if we objectively evaluate these facts, then the jellyfish is longer and larger than the whale.

Another representative of the fauna of the sea does not lag behind the jellyfish. This is a giant bootlace sea worm. In the 19th century, a worm about 55 meters long was discovered on the coast of Scotland near St. Andrews after a storm. Its width was only 10 centimeters. However, scientists did not recognize the giant as a giant. This is because worms can stretch and contract. Whale shark However, sharks also compete for the title of the largest. And which one can call itself the largest and most big fish in the World Ocean?

Now scientists assign leadership in body size to the whale shark. Experts believe that it is the largest of known to science fish However, debates on the topic of the maximum size of fish continue among scientists to this day.

The documented record is 14 meters. But it is not uncommon for information to appear about the capture of more major representative kind. Some sharks grow to 20 meters or more. For example, in 2002, near Chinese Taiwan, fishermen caught a female weighing 34 tons and 20 meters long.

Scientists note that the difficulty in setting the maximum size of a whale shark is not only that large specimens are quite rare in nature. In fact, this fish is listed on the IUCN Red List and fishing is prohibited. Catching an animal is punishable by law.

But this fact rarely stops poachers, since the fins of this individual alone cost tens of thousands of dollars in Asian markets. And if fishermen manage to catch a whale shark, then, of course, the catch is hidden from prying eyes and ears, especially scientists. The fish are usually cut on site, the fins and the most valuable parts of the body are trimmed, and the rest is returned to the sea.

Despite the disputes among scientists, no one denies that the whale shark is the largest modern fish known to science. By the way, almost nothing is known about their method of reproduction. Until recently, it was believed that sharks lay eggs. This conclusion was made after, in 1953, at the bottom Gulf of Mexico found a huge egg 36 centimeters long. And he was mistaken for the future baby whale shark. But at the end of the last century, a pregnant female was caught, inside of which there were embryos that had already hatched. Therefore, it became clear that sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity. Small sharks are already appearing with a length of 60 centimeters.

Whale shark in the waters

By the way, the largest shark that a person has caught is a whale shark. She was harpooned off the coast of Pakistan (near Baba Island) in 1949. The weight of the giant was 20 tons, and the length was almost 13 meters. The girth of the torso is also impressive - 7 meters. The fishermen immediately killed the fish, cut them into parts and sold them.

Another inhabitant of the waters is not far from the record holder - this is a giant shark. It is known that the size of such fish reaches 11 meters. And there is information about the capture of a larger individual (up to 15 meters), but it is not documented. It is worth noting that the giant shark and whale shark are almost not dangerous to humans. They feed only on zooplankton. And they are not at all interested in humans as prey.

And they are dangerous because with one movement of the tail fin they can break a person’s spine or cause other serious injury. Therefore, you need to be careful in the immediate vicinity of monster fish.

Largemouth shark

Largemouth sharks, a rather rare species of underwater predators, also grow quite large. The maximum recorded size of a largemouth shark is 7 meters. But who knows, maybe even larger individuals swim in the depths of the ocean

Bigmouth shark

White shark

In 1978, in the Azores, near the harbor of San Miguel, a 7-meter white shark was caught using dozens of harpoons. This is a record to date. White death, as it is also called, resisted the fishermen and killed two people. She broke the spine of one and bit the other in half.

By the way, there are cases when a white shark was caught with a fishing rod. So, in 1959, the Australian Elf Dian caught a cannibal on a steel fishing line in a small motor boat in the ocean. The weight of the predator was 1207 kilograms, and the length was just over five meters.
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The world's oceans have become home to sharks - aggressive and voracious creatures, terrifying on many marine life and on people. Nature “provided” them with the sharpest teeth, a powerful streamlined body and a “Nordic” character. But it turns out that there are species that, looking at them, you can’t believe that they are sharks, and their behavior is not “shark-like” at all...

Carpet shark or bearded wobbegong

Agree, it doesn’t look like a shark at all. These bottom-dwelling marine animals, common in warm waters, grow a little over a meter in length, but sometimes three-meter-long individuals are also found. The wobbegong's body is flat, widening towards the head with a rather unattractive snout, expressionless unblinking eyes, small teeth and skin growths reminiscent of a beard. With them, the carpet shark “combs” the seabed, looking for food - crabs, shrimp, mollusks, echinoderms and small fish. The spotted skin allows the bearded wobbegong to camouflage well on the bottom, blending in with corals and algae.

Interesting fact. Almost all shark species need to move in order to breathe. Wobbegongs can breathe without moving. These are sedentary animals. Consequently, they burn fewer calories, so they need little food.

Carpet sharks are not dangerous to people, although you should not touch them or grab them by the tail - they may bite.

fox shark

Its other names are “ sea ​​fox"or "sea thresher". The most prominent part of this shark's body is its large tail. She does not need it for beauty or for ease of swimming, but for hunting. Seeing the fish, the fox shark begins to circle around them, waving its tail and driving the fish into a dense school. The shark then dives down the “fish pile” with its tail up and hits the “potential dinner” with force. The speed of the tail at this moment is 80 km/h, so the fish caught under it has no chance to escape. Hence the name – “sea thresher”. The shark is very voracious, so it quickly begins to grab stunned fish. If its stomach is already full, and the fish killed by its tail are still on the surface of the water, the fox shark regurgitates part of the eaten fish and begins to devour those still floating on the water. Here is a vivid example of boundless greed! The fox shark can also hunt live fish, even jumping out of the water. This often serves it poorly, since a careless shark often manages to get its prominent tail caught in fishing gear.

Elephant shark or giant shark

This giant, with a laterally compressed body and a head with a short trunk, grows up to 10 meters in length and weighs more than 4 tons. The mouth of this shark is so large (up to three meters in diameter) that small teeth are completely invisible. It would seem that having such a mouth, one can easily feed on large animals. But no. The elephant shark only eats plankton. She, swimming slowly with her mouth open, pumps a huge amount of water with plankton into it, then filters the water through the gills, and swallows the plankton. Its stomach can hold up to a ton of food.

The giant shark has another name - “basking shark”, since it loves to swim on the very surface of the water, exposing its powerful body to the warm sun. The giant shark feeds especially actively in the summer and spring, and in the cold season, when there is less plankton, it either feeds on the fat reserves of the liver or descends to greater depths (up to 1 km) in search of plankton.

The liver of this shark makes up 1/5 of its weight, the fat is considered very useful for humans, and the meat and bones are used in humans. Therefore, these giants are being destroyed en masse. It's a pity, because they are completely harmless.

Hammerhead shark

The hammerhead shark is one of the largest sharks (from 5 to 7 meters) and one of the most ancient fish on our planet (more than 25 million years old). Its weight can reach 350 kg. These sharks live in warm seas.

This shark has a very unusual head with two lobes located on the sides, on which small eyes and special bodies to capture odors. The hammerhead shark is very voracious and indiscriminate in food: it eats both large animals and its shark relatives.

“Potential food”, trying to hide from this predator, buries itself in the sand, but in vain. The hammerhead shark picks up the impulses coming from their bodies with its head, rushes at them and literally tears the frightened, trembling fish out of the sand. The hammerhead shark is also dangerous to humans.

Longtip shark

This is a very aggressive and slow shark, common in warm seas. She waits patiently for some prey to come into her field of vision. And when this happens, for example, a school of fish appears, the long-winged shark begins to greedily grab food. After the meal of these sharks, many half-eaten animals or fish float on the surface of the bloody water.

She does not disdain human meat either. For example, in the forties of the last century near South Africa A ship with a thousand passengers on board crashed. Almost all the people who fell into the water were devoured alive by long-tipped sharks.

Long-winged sharks circle close to sailing ships, grabbing everything that is thrown out of them. Bales of garbage were sometimes found in the wombs of caught sharks.

Long-winged sharks are caught by people for their large fins, which are used as food.

cat shark

This spotted, cat-like, small shark (maximum 1m 20 cm) leads a sedentary lifestyle in warm seas, among corals. During the day she lies motionless, hiding in the corals, and at night she goes in search of food. The shark probes the bottom with its antennae and looks for small fish and crustaceans.

Amazing fact. These interesting animals have adapted to go without water for more than ten hours. This is a feature developed over many centuries, which arose due to the fact that the tide often leaves these sharks on the shore.

Cat sharks are often kept in aquariums.

Largemouth shark

The largemouth shark is one of the least studied marine animals and the rarest fish in the world. It was first discovered in 1976, since then people have discovered only 47 of these animals.

The weight of these five-meter giants is big head and a meter-long thick-lipped mouth - one and a half tons. They feed on krill, and they do it in a very interesting way. Their mouth has a luminous surface from the inside, which attracts small animals and plankton. This is the largest luminous sea animal! Having captured a huge amount of water and “food”, the giant filters the water and pushes the food down its throat with its huge tongue. If a particularly nimble victim tries to escape from the jaws of the lip-slapper, then small teeth arranged in 23 rows of 300 pieces in each stand in its way!

The largemouth shark has a watery body that prevents it from drowning. But it often becomes prey for other predators. A clumsy and very slow shark can be attacked by a school of rock perches, which tear pieces out of its body with their sharp teeth. It can also be swallowed whole by a sperm whale.

Saw shark

Saw shark - fish small size(up to two meters) with a long growth on the nose, equipped with teeth. Why is it needed? To loosen the soil with it, injure the “food” and fight with rivals. Interestingly, broken teeth can grow back. Saw sharks live in warm seas.

Glowing sharks

Glowing sharks are very aggressive fish, but one thing distinguishes them from their counterparts: they do not kill their victims, but only bite off the part they like and swim away. Their diet includes whales, killer whales, swordfish, or even their brothers, the same glowing sharks. But sometimes they also become someone's lunch. One day, a glowing shark was found in the stomach of a large tuna.

These 50cm sharks live in warm seas. During the day they live at great depths (sometimes up to 3 km), and at night they rise to the surface.

Goblin shark or goblin shark

This scary shark with a very strange appearance has been studied very little. She has an elongated nose and ugly jaws with protruding sharp teeth, which can move forward at the right moment (during hunting). The brownie shark weighs about 200 kg and is 3.5 m long. It is distributed at great depths in all oceans. She has a very poor vision, but she doesn’t need it at such and such a depth!