Is that shark-fin soup you're eating?

Be forewarned, this post will have a slight soap-box feel to it.  There is sad news in the ocean community, and it seems to be coming on a regular basis.  It was revealed this week a study which indicated that an alarming number of sharks on are the brink of extinction.  That's right, extinction,  not even endangerment!  These magnificent animals are one haul away from being wiped out.  While there can be a variety of factors to blame for this dire situation, it is predominantly (and not surprisingly) at the hands of humans which have helped shape this tragedy.

Sharks and rays hold a special place in our hearts.  There is probably no other family in the animal kingdom that inspires such awe, fear, curiosity, delight, and wonder as sharks.  Their looks lend to our delighted terror state ("Jaws") but the beautifully engineered bodies lend to our ceaseless amazement.  They have been one of the strongest and most prolific survivors of the Dinosaur age into our turbulent and modern times.  Sharks serve as reminders of the overused adage "survival of the fittest".

To say sharks are fascinating would be an understatement.  Their design elements and survival abilities are unparalleled.  Sharks are fish, incredibly sleek, wonderfully engineered fish. Sharks are covered in dermal denticles, and it is probably what you're thinking.  The skin is covered in very tough scales which when rubbed front to back is very smooth.  Rubbed the other, back to front, your hand is likely to get very cut up.  Sharks have evolved rows and rows of razor sharp teeth which are imbedded in its mouth but not the jaw.  Hunting often results in the loss of multiple teeth, so they are replaced by new ones. Imagine if we had that ability...we'd never need dentures or braces.  We could get punched in the face as many times as we'd like and still be able to sit for an Olan Mills photo the next day.

A distinct trait of the shark is that the majority of the species lack a swim bladder.  Swim bladders enable fish buoyancy, the shark instead relies on its "airplane" design to keep "afloat". Much like airplanes, sharks must use its pectoral fins to create "dynamic lift".  Otherwise the shark would undoubtedly sink because of its mass.  In addition to their prominent front fins, sharks have developed a variety of tails.  The tail is most obviously used for thrust and speed, so they vary accordingly.

The word "shark" is only a recent development, it was credited as having been coined in the 16th century.  Before then sharks were referred to, amongst other things, as "sea dogs". Despite recent name-christening, the shark has long been a successful adaptor and until recently, survivor.  Sharks have been assumed to have been in existence as early as the Ordovician.  This was a time that no life on land existed and very few predators/prey were in the ocean.  In fact, the shark became such a successful predator that it grew into the incredible Megalodon.   That's a post for another day.

Sharks, like the majority of sea life, deserve respect and protection.  Just because it looks like it can chew your legs off doesn't mean it will or it wants to.  Sharks are poster children for adaptation and evolution.  Don't allow them to be written into history books as "once having existed".  We can't afford to continually lose living proof of what our world once was or will be. So go on, give your local shark a hug today.  But remember, hugs go front-back.