A shark is a fish famous for its predatory abilities.
A shark is a cartilaginous fish that lives in the sea (although some species also swim in fresh water) and stands out for its qualities as a predator . Because its skeleton is composed of cartilage, it is part of the chondrichthyan group.
Belonging to the superorder of selacimorphs , sharks have a mouth with different rows of teeth. This animal, which is also known as a shark , has gill slits located on the sides of its body.
shark species
Some three hundred and seventy-five species of shark have been recognized, belonging to eight different orders, with specimens that can exceed ten meters in length . The largest species is called the whale shark .
Shark attacks on people have been detected many times. The bull shark or sarda and the tiger shark are the species that record the highest number of attacks against humans .
Sharks are usually recognized by the fin that sticks out of the water.
From literature to cinema
A curious case occurs with the white shark . A successful novel written by Peter Benchley that had a film adaptation by Steven Spielberg in 1974 places the white shark as a terrible predator that attacks different people. For this reason, in the popular imagination, it is believed that the white shark usually attacks humans, something that does not happen in reality.
As a classic in the history of cinema and as a reference that is in everyone's cultural heritage. This is how the aforementioned film is considered, starring actors of the stature of Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary , among many others.
The story it tells takes place in a town in New England that will see its tranquility shattered when one of its young neighbors is found dead on the beach. Forensic analysis will determine that she has been killed by a shark. A situation that will make the police chief consider that it would be best to close the beaches until the animal can be found. However, the mayor will be against it, he does not want the town to not receive the money that tourists leave in the summer and that is why he decides that they remain open. What will happen? That there will be more victims of the shark.
More facts about sharks
Other interesting facts about sharks are the following:
– They have existed for more than 450 million years. Hence it is maintained that they even existed on Earth before the dinosaurs.
– They manage to camouflage themselves perfectly to be able to attack their victims, since they have a darker upper part to go unnoticed in the water closer to the surface and the lower part is whiter to adapt to the clarity of deeper water.
– Their sense of smell is so developed that it is considered that they are able to smell blood from miles away.
Symbolic use of the concept
In a figurative sense, an unscrupulous or very ambitious individual is described as a “shark” .
“Be careful, there are many sharks in this company that would not hesitate to eat you as soon as they have a chance.” y “The Russian tycoon is often described as a financial shark due to his voracity” son expresiones que muestran este uso.