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Shark Quiz I

  1. Rhincodon typus is the largest fish in the world - by what name do we know this species of shark?
  2. Which species of shark, which has the second most fatal unprovoked attacks on humans, derives its name from the dark stripes down its body?
  3. Name the group of sharks known for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads which form the family Sphyrnidae?
  4. True or false? A shark's skin feels like velvet which aids its movement through water?




  5. Which species of shark gets its name from its feeding habit of gouging round plugs out of larger animals?
  6. Which shark's fin is iconically often seen breaking the water surface: (a) pelvic fin, (b) caudal fin, (c) dorsal fin, or (d) pectoral fin?
  7. Who played professional shark hunter Quint in the film Jaws?
  8. Out of more than 489 shark species, how many species are responsible for a double-digit number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: (a) 3, (b) 13, or (c) 23?
  9. True or false? Sharks can smell a single drop of blood from several miles away.
  10. True or false? Sharks have been known to inhabit freshwater lakes and rivers.
  11. Which species of large shark is infamous for its often fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans?
  12. Can you name the second-largest living shark which is also one of three plankton-eating shark species?
  13. Sharks' skeletons are made of muscle and which other material that gives them their great flexibility?
  14. Dogfish have the longest known gestation period of any shark. How long is it: (a) 6 to 12 months, (b) 12 to 18 months, or (c) 18 to 24 months?
  15. Alopias vulpinus, also known as the fox shark, gets its common name from its long unique tail which it uses like a whip to stun its prey - can you name the species?
  16. The sinking of which American ship in July 1945 resulted in the most shark attacks on humans in history?

Answers:

  1. The whale shark
  2. Tiger shark
  3. Hammerhead shark
  4. False. A shark's skin feels like sandpaper
  5. Cookiecutter shark
  6. (c) Dorsal fin
  7. Robert Shaw
  8. (a) 3 (the great white, tiger and bull sharks)
  9. False (although they can smell a single drop in an olympic sized swimming pool)
  10. True (for example, bull sharks are found in tropical rivers)
  11. The great white
  12. The basking shark
  13. Cartilage
  14. (c) 18 to 24 months
  15. Thresher shark
  16. USS Indianapolis