Whether some of the great minds behind today’s efforts at innovation are willingly to admit it or not, much of what we aspire to accomplish with future technologies often mirrors what certain species are already naturally capable of. As our technological capabilities and achievements continue to grow at exponential rates, it’s increasingly important for us to maintain appreciation for the innate abilities found within the earth’s creatures, reinforcing the great importance of environmental conservation. And with ancestral roots dating back millions and millions of years, building off our current knowledge of sharks provides an ideal example of living learning tools.

What’s the largest species of shark? Not only is the whale shark the biggest species of shark, this ocean-blue blimp also holds the record for the world’s biggest fish.     

What’s scarier than the thought of several rows of razor-sharp teeth? The realization that there’s significant intelligence behind the use of those teeth. Just how big is the brain of a shark? Both the size and shape of a shark’s brain varies significantly from species to species. Generally speaking though, sharks do feature a significant ratio of brain mass to body mass. And while the brain-to-body mass ratio for humans is much greater than sharks, the often heard statement that all sharks have a brain the size of a walnut is simply an inaccurate generalization. In fact, thorough dissection has showed us that shark brains can actually be quite complex.

By what process do sharks mate? Sharks are typically very private, protective of their breeding process which means we are still relatively limited in our viewings of the actual mating process. However, based on the recorded observations that we do have combined with some key variations in anatomy we do know that there are some differences in the way that certain species breed. Furthermore, we know that a majority of shark species conduct their breeding while swimming parallel to one another where the male shark uses his clasper to insert into the female’s oviduct.

How do sharks communicate with each other? We are certain that they do call on the use of body language, bumping each other, and the proximity or how close they swim to each other as means of communicating with each other. However, this is an area that continues to be heavily researched and there are a variety of fascinating theories that go above and beyond these fundamental methods. Some go so far as to question the ability of sharks to communicate through purely mental paths without making any sounds or vibrations…a very fishy ESP.

A vital component of protecting the earth’s creatures is using the power of fascination and the desire to learn more about the world around us.