Sharks

Shark off the waters of Belize.

The earliest shark ancestor so far discovered can be traced to the Ordovician Period over 450 million years ago. During this time, there was a vast marine diversity, but little diversity on land. While different from modern sharks, the ancestor was still a high-speed predator with sharp teeth.

Fossilized Shark Tooth

As one of the fiercest marine predators, sharks also harbor a disproportionate amount of fear. Of the number of total confirmed shark attacks recorded for centuries, less than a fifth have been fatal. There are greater dangers in the seas such as rip currents and jellyfish, and while jellyfish are deadly, the number of deaths they cause have likely been seriously underestimated due to lack of confirmed deaths. Still, it is far easier to fear a large, sharp-toothed predator rather than a tiny insect no matter the fatality rate.


This post is in response to the recent culling of sharks off the Western Australia coast. The policy states that it is to reduce the risk of shark bites and fatalities. Unfortunately, all this will create are unstable populations in species, which could easily led to a sudden collapse and extinction as was seen in passenger pigeons a century ago. All have their place in their world including large carnivores such as sharks. They help keep populations in check, and if removed, the effects ripple down the food chain until the whole system becomes unbalanced. As with everything else, they have a place and purpose in our environment.

The Google+ post I did mentioning sharks, but with different wording is here.