8 crazy facts you didn't know about the king of the ocean
Thomson Reuters
Sweet relief. Summer is here, and people around the nation can start enjoying the oceanside beaches they’ve been dreaming about all year long.
Warm weather. Ice cream. Hot sand. Cool water. Time spent with friends and family.
It’s a relaxing, stress-free time ... until someone mentions that one word: Shark.
For anyone who's seen "Jaws," this creature doesn’t seem like one they want to become particularly close with.
But 41 years after one of the most fear-instilling movies of all time, scientists have a much better understanding of sharks.
Sharks have special organs to sense changes in their environment.
Elias Levy
Sharks have special organs called neuromasts throughout their head and along their bodies to help them sense water pressure and movement in their surroundings. They’re usually located just below the skin inside of mucus-filled pores.
They can sense electromagnetic fields.
Matt Kowalczyk
Some neuromasts are specialized to sense other changes in the environment. These are called ampullae of Lorenzini. Each ampullae works independently to distinguish the difference in electric potential in the environment versus in the shark's body. Scientists think that this may allow sharks to detect prey, like muscle spasms originating from an injured fish, as well as predators, and mates. It is also thought that these ampullae may be responsible for detecting the Earth’s magnetic field, helping guide sharks during migration.
Researchers are also using what they know about this system to try and create new shark repellents.
Sharks can by hypnotized.
Stefan Andrews
Technically, sharks can undergo what's called tonic immobility, or a natural state of paralysis. Researchers can induce this state in a shark by either flipping the animal onto its belly or rubbing its snout, depending on which species it is. Humans aren't the only ones who know how to use this trick. Scientists think large cetaceans, like whales, may use it as well to defend themselves or prey upon sharks (instead of grabbing hold of the dorsal fin, a larger marine animal would bite it). It may also be a tactic that sharks use on each other during mating to prevent injury to the female.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider