K SHARKS
BOOKS
g ht t o
wh a t’s inside
th e li
•
•H o ld up to
K PA G ES
r
s ee
VISION
Written by
David Stewart Illustrated by
Diego Vaisberg
K SHARKS
BOOKS
r
VISION
Written by
David Stewart Illustrated by
Diego Vaisberg
Published in Great Britain in MMXXI by Book House, an imprint of The Salariya Book Company Ltd 25 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB www.salariya.com ISBN: 978-1-913337-67-4
Consultant: Helen Lambert is an animal welfare scientist who is recognised around the world for her expertise and research into animal emotions. Helen has spent years working and researching for the charity sector, and she now runs her own consultancy business: Animal Welfare Consultancy. Author: David Stewart has written many nonfiction books for children. He lives in Brighton, England, with his family.
© The Salariya Book Company Ltd MMXXI All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
135798642 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and bound in China. This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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Artist: Diego Vaisberg works as a designer and illustrator. He has previously worked in the product and design department for the Ink-co kids’ accessories brand, and has been professor of Editorial design and Illustration at Palermo University, Buenos Aires since 2014. Editor: Nick Pierce
Contents What is a shark?
4
How do sharks swim?
8
What is inside a shark? How do sharks hear and smell?
7
12
What do sharks eat?
14
How do sharks hide?
22
Which shark is the biggest?
18
Do sharks lay eggs?
26
Where do sharks live?
30
How can you see sharks?
34
Why are sharks killed?
42
How do baby sharks grow? Where in the world are sharks? Why are people scared of sharks?
29 32
38
Why are sharks important?
44
Glossary
47
Shark facts Index
46
48
What is a shark?
S
harks are cold-blooded sea creatures. They have muscular, streamlined bodies and breathe through their gills. They are also very intelligent animals with large brains and good memories.
Some species of fish have rigid skeletons made of bone, but sharks’ skeletons are made of a flexible material called cartilage.
Skate A skate has a cartilage skeleton, so it is related to sharks. Skate live on the seabed and hunt crabs, lobsters and octopuses.
Shark
Sharks have rough skin without scales. Sharks’ gills look like a line of slits with no covers.
4
K
VISION
Hold the page opposite up to the light to see what’s inside a shark.
5
6
What is inside a shark?
T
he shark’s skeleton supports its body. It also protects the internal organs – the heart, stomach and so on. The shark’s spine or backbone runs all along the body, from the cranium (skull), which protects the brain, to the tail.
Denticles
Sharks’ skins are covered in denticles. The word means ‘small teeth’, which is what the denticles look like up close.
Gills
Sharks have five, six or seven gills on each side of their throat. Water from the shark’s mouth passes over the gills. The tiny blood vessels in the gills take in oxygen from the water. Sharks breathe with gills.
7
How do sharks swim?
S
wimming in the sea is much harder than walking on land. Most of a shark’s body is made up of muscles attached to its spine. A shark’s streamlined body means it can move quickly and easily through the water.
Bony fish have swim bladders to control their depth in the sea. Sharks don’t have swim bladders. This means that if a shark stopped swimming, it would sink.
Did you know? Sharks’ livers are full of oil. This gives them buoyancy (the ability to float) which means they do not need to use too much energy when swimming.
8
Great white shark The great white shark is a killer. It eats seals, penguins and other sharks. It has also attacked people who are swimming in the ocean. It can grow up to 6 m (20 feet) long and is very aggressive.
The torpedo-shaped body of the great white shark means it is a capable and fast swimmer. They can swim at speeds of up to 40 kph (25 mph) and can go up to 56 kph (35 mph) for short bursts.
Swimming movement
To swim, the muscles on one side of the shark’s body contract (tighten). When the muscles on the other side do the same, it makes the shark’s body bend. The shark beats its strong tail at the same time and moves through the water.
9
