Feared by most, loved by some and hunted by many, sharks are one of the most mysterious groups of creatures roaming the Earth today. Defined as a fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a sleek, streamlined body, a shark can range in size from the two foot pygmy shark, to the colossal 50-foot whale shark.There are more than 250 different species of sharks currently identified, making it one of the most diverse animal genera on the planet. Sharks are found in every major body of saltwater in the world, but are more common in warmer waters. There are a small number of shark species that do thrive in fresh water, and certain sharks have been known to venture from their saltwater homes to major freshwater lakes and rivers.Most members
Latest about Sharks
Stunning video shows sharks devouring sea urchins, spines and all
Sharks easily consumed large, spiky sea urchins – sometimes in just a few gulps.
How did sharks become Earth's 'ultimate survivors'? Paleontologist John Long finds answers in new book 'The Secret History of Sharks'
"The Secret History of Sharks" author John Long met with Live Science to discuss his new book, recent revelations about megalodons, and how he got over his fear of great whites.
Angular roughshark: The pig-faced shark that grunts when captured
An angular roughshark pulled from the water near Elba, an Italian island near Tuscany.
A really big shark got gobbled up by another, massive shark in 1st known case of its kind
A pregnant porbeagle shark is believed to have been eaten by a great white, with the larger predator swallowing its tracking device off the coast of Bermuda, scientists report.
Great white sharks split into 3 populations 200,000 years ago and never mixed again — except for one hybrid found in the Bermuda Triangle
Scientists found three distinct great-white-shark populations that congregate in different oceans and do not interbreed. Their separation may have implications for conservation.
Sharks in an Italian aquarium keep having 'virgin birth' after years without males
Two endangered female sharks found to be reproducing asexually in the absence of males in what appears to be a vital survival mechanism amid declining male populations.
Secret of why Greenland sharks live so incredibly long finally revealed
Surprising new research has revealed why the world's longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, has such a lengthy lifespan. The findings could have big implications for the species' future.
Searching for 'Makozilla' — the supersized mako sharks in the North Pacific
A decade after a huge mako shark dubbed "The Beast" was caught off the California coast, experts search for its enormous relatives.
