A Few More Shark Myths for You to Chew On
Ready to learn more about the beasties? We sure are!
A few weeks back, we did a two-part story on shark myths. The phenomena of shark myths are, to coin a phrase, the kind of subject that just keeps eating at a researcher. There's still so much we don't know about these critters; the mythology surrounding them is as murky as the water they live in. And we're not talking about the superstition kind of mythology, though there's plenty of that.
No, these myths originate from misunderstanding, and we at Mythbusters like nothing better than to tread on the head of that particular failing. So here are four more fantastic myths about sharks, and the truth that underlies their various misconceptions.
Myth 1: Sharks are scavengers and will eat anything.
This is pure shark myth, since most sharks are actually rather discriminating eaters. For example, Great White sharks prefer blubbery sea mammals like seals, while other sharks prowl for fish, invertebrates and other sharks. Some of the larger species, including basking sharks and whale sharks, eat only plankton.
Myth 2: Sharks prefer the blood of humans, and can smell it a mile away.
Nope. While sharks do indeed have excellent noses and can smell blood at a great distance, evidence shows that they don't favor human blood over any other kind. In fact, they seem to like most other blood better. Sharks that bite humans usually spit them out, as we pointed out in an earlier essay.
To sharks, blood is blood wherever it comes from, though they do seem to prefer that of fish and sea mammals. The concept that they represent a kind of real-life oceangoing vampire is just another silly shark myth, all those scary Jaws movies notwithstanding. Dah dam, dah dum...
Myth 3: Sharks have poor eyesight.
Actually, the opposite is true. Most shark eyes have lenses that are more than seven times stronger than those of humans. This means that they can focus more sharply and see farther distances than we can -- and the human eye is no slouch in the ocular world, even underwater.It's apparent that sharks an also distinguish colors quite well, which is really a plus only in the upper part of the water column. They can also see lights that are up to ten times dimmer than the lights most average humans can see. Bad eyesight, huh? Where'd this shark myth come from?
Myth 4: Sharks have tiny brains.
Compared to humans, maybe a shark's brain is smaller. For fish, though, shark brains are huge and complex. And as we pointed out in a previous article, sharks are about as smart as the average rabbit or cat. That's pretty smart, when you get right down to it -- they leave most birds, fish, and small mammals eating their cerebral dust.
Amazingly, you can even train a shark, though you probably won't see them performing tricks at SeaWorld anytime soon, and you certainly won't see a trainer swimming on a shark's back -- their skin is rough than sandpaper. The point is... it's a good idea not to swallow all those shark myths hook, line, and sinker.
