Question 2 of 21

How did cookiecutter sharks get their name?

... Cookiecutter sharks got their name because they take small bites of flesh from their prey.

Question 3 of 21

How many shark species are there?

... Shark eating habits and preferences vary from species to species and with almost 400 different shark species, the variations are endless.

Question 4 of 21

All sharks are:

... All sharks are at least partially carnivorous, consuming between 0.5 and 3.0 percent of their body weight each meal.

Question 5 of 21

How often do sharks eat a meal?

... Since sharks don't chew their food very well, they space their meals out to every two or three days to give themselves time to digest.

Question 6 of 21

How do shark hunting habits help to perpetuate "survival of the fittest" within their environment?

... Sharks often target weak, immature or sickly fish or mammals, allowing the stronger, healthier ones to survive.

Question 7 of 21

What does the average shark eat?

... The average shark prefers fish, squid and crustaceans, though there are great variations among the different species.

Question 8 of 21

Which species of shark likes to eat crabs and lobsters?

... While the smooth dogfish shark enjoys a good seafood dinner of crabs and lobsters, the blue shark prefers squid.

Question 9 of 21

Which species of shark eats stingrays?

... The hammerhead shark is one of the few shark species that eats stingrays, whereas the tiger shark's unusual teeth allow it to eat just about anything.

Question 10 of 21

______ feeding is a method of aquatic feeding by which the animal draws in large amounts of water through its mouth.

... Filter feeding is a method of aquatic feeding by which the animal takes in many small pieces of prey at one time by drawing in large amounts of water through its mouth.

Question 11 of 21

Filter feeding sharks use their _____ to sift through ingested water to extract their food.

... Filter feeding shark species have specialized gills that sift through water to extract their main food, plankton, which consists of small algae and sea creatures.

Question 12 of 21

Which of the following shark species eat by filter feeding?

... Megamouth sharks, whale sharks and basking sharks all filter feed on plankton.

Question 13 of 21

How many gallons of water do basking sharks filter per hour?

... Basking sharks filter 528,000 gallons (2 million liters) of water per hour, extracting 4.5 pounds (2 kilograms) of food.

Question 14 of 21

Which type of larger fish do larger sharks sometimes eat?

... Some larger, faster sharks eat larger fish such as tuna and mackerel, as well as other sharks and sea mammals.

Question 15 of 21

Which intelligent and friendly sea creature beloved by humans is sometimes eaten by great white, tiger and mako sharks?

... Great white, mako and tiger sharks may also eat seals, sea lions, sea birds, dolphins and porpoises.

Question 16 of 21

Which species of shark is known to eat the most non-living things?

... The tiger shark has been known to eat all kinds of non-living things, including license plates and gasoline canisters.

Question 17 of 21

Which part of a shark's body offers clues to their foods of choice?

... A shark's teeth offers clues to its prey of choice. Great white sharks have razor-sharp, triangular fangs to tear into the thick flesh of sea mammals, whereas filter feeders like whale sharks have short, blunt teeth since they don't have to tear into anything .

Question 18 of 21

_____ are the shark's most threatening predator.

... Even though killer whales that weigh around 5 tons (4,535 kilograms) have been known to eat ferocious great white sharks, their most dangerous predators are human beings.

Question 19 of 21

How many tons of shark and dogfish meat did the United States export in 2007?

... According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, in 2007, the United States exported 4,160 tons of shark and dogfish meat.

Question 20 of 21

Which of the following countries has banned the practice of shark finning?

... The United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have all banned the practice of finning -- catching sharks, slicing off their fins and then leaving the finless and defenseless sharks in the water.

Question 21 of 21

How many of the almost 400 species of shark have ever made contact with humans?

... According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, only 30 of the almost 400 species of shark have ever made contact with humans. Of those 30, shark specialists consider about 12 to be potentially dangerous to humans.