Rounding out shark week with the top five deadliest sharks.

One more post about sharks in honor of shark week.  I was planning on doing more but life happens.

So here are the top five deadliest sharks.

Mako

Coming in at number 5 is the Mako shark.  The Mako shark can grow up to 14 feet and weigh in at around 400 pounds.  They live around 35 years.  They are also the fastest sharks in the oceans with speeds up to 60 mph.  On record, the Mako has 42 reported attacks on humans.

Oceanic White Tip

Number 4 is the Oceanic White Tip shark.  The Oceanic white tip sharks can be up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 400 pounds.  They have unusually large dorsal fins, are of a stockier build, and have rounded snouts.  They dwell mostly in the deepest parts of the ocean.

Tiger 

Number 3 is the Tiger shark which can be up to 20 feet long and weigh as much as 1,400 pounds. It is easy to see why these sharks are named Tiger sharks, the pattern, but as these Tiger sharks mature, their patterns fade away and become invisible.  Tiger sharks are also known as waste-baskets of the ocean as they truly will eat anything and everything.  They can live to be 50+ years old in the wild.  There have been at least 116 reported attacks on humans.

Great White

Number 2 is the Great White shark which most people believe is the number 1 deadliest shark with a total of a whopping 348 reported attacks.  Did you know that Great White females are larger than Great White males?  Another cool fact is that Great Whites will attack humans but they do not eat them.  Great Whites prefer cooler water.  They can live up to 60 years in the wild.  A fact that most people do not know is that the Great Whites are considered an endangered species.

Bull shark

And coming in at the number one most deadly shark is ..........(drum roll)..............the Bull shark.  Bull sharks are around 13 feet long full grown and weigh in at around 1,300 pounds.  They can swim up to 11 mph.  Bull sharks live up to 12 years in the wild.  There are a reported 82 fatal attacks on humans.  These adaptable Bull sharks are the only known sharks capable of living in fresh water such as the Mississippi River and the Amazon River.

There has been an influx of shark attacks recently.  Experts agree that the reasons for these attacks include the following:
~The sharks are looking for food.
~Climate is a key factor.
~Ocean conditions -i.e. warmer water temperatures during the summer thus sending the sharks into migration mode.
~Sea turtles along the shores also lure sharks in.

A few tips:
~Use common sense when you are heading out to the beach and remember, the ocean is where the sharks live so stay close to the shorelines.
~Stay away from anyone fishing.
~It is a good idea to learn a little about sharks.
~Stay in a group.  If you see a shark swimming using slow and smooth movements,  try not to panic as those are not threatening and aggressive behaviors.
~No night swimming.
~No swimming if you are bleeding.
~Most of all, have respect for the sharks.  You are in their domain.

Here is a story about recent shark attacks in North Carolina.
In Florida, a fisherman was taken for a ride by a bull shark.
Staten Island also has recent news of sharks.

Here is a little oddity that I accident found during research.  This is a documented case of a two-headed Bull shark.  You can read more about this here.

Great links:
More from my blog on sharks (dissection included)
Another blog post by me.
CurrClick
Kidzone
Shark Info
From Bustle
Defenders of wildlife
Sharks world
Sharks on Pinterest
Free fun stuff for the younger ones.