SAN ANTONIO – SeaWorld San Antonio is celebrating Shark Awareness Day by debunking some famous shark myths while also talking about shark facts you may not know.
There are two main myths about sharks people talk about. The first one is that sharks are always hungry.
“Sometimes sharks have to swim hundreds of miles, throughout the ocean trying to find food. So they’re opportunistic feeders,” said Janelle Baca, an Aquarium Supervisor at SeaWorld.
Another myth, sharks like attacking humans.
“A lot of times there’s that initial bite and then they move on because humans are not something that they’re interested in,” Baca said.
Sharks are very important to our oceans ecosystem, but every year nearly 100 million are killed by humans. They’re killed for many reasons; fear, game and to be used as food. Sharks, however, are vital to keep balance in the oceans.
One way sharks maintain balance is by helping control fish populations. Sharks will feed on sick, dying or injured fish in order to keep those fish populations controlled.
“If you do encounter a shark out in its natural environment, we just ask that you let it do its thing. It’s there to maintain the ecosystem,” Baca said.
Sharks are unique creatures. They use over 3,000 teeth during their life time, they are made of cartilage rather than bone and they have dermal denticles as their skin.
“They’re like tiny little shark teeth that form the scales on their body,” said Baca.
To see the sharks and other animals SeaWorld has, click here.