Most people when swimming near the coast, think the most terrible thing is seeing the back fin of a shark. now imagine it can be How much scarier if it belongs to a shark whit more than 55 feet long? But you will be surprised when finding out the three biggest sharks in the world are plankton feeders and dangerless.
Join us in this article to tell you about the top 10 biggest sharks in the world. After reading this article you will find out the conservation status of this large resident of oceans is vulnerable because of extra hunting by people. People kill sharks because of their meat, skin, liver oil, etc.
Let’s get going to know more about the top 10 biggest sharks in the world and even more.
| Rank | Shark | Size |
| 1 | Whale shark | >55 ft |
| 2 | Basking shark | 50 ft |
| 3 | Megamouth | 25 ft |
| 4 | Tiger shark | 25 ft |
| 5 | Greenland shark | 24 ft |
| 6 | Great white shark | 20 ft |
| 7 | Hammerhead shark | 20 ft |
| 8 | Thresher shark | >18 ft |
| 9 | Bluntnose sixgill shark | <20 ft |
| 10 | Longfin mako shark | 14 ft |
1- Whale Shark
Their appearance:
- It is not only one the biggest shark with about 55.7 feet in length but also the biggest fish in the world.
- It is also known as carpet shark because of its beautiful polka dots looks like with a dark gray-white stripe pattern on its hide.
- Their mouth is smaller than the mouth of a basking shark and mega mouth.
- There are dermal denticles on its body and eyes.
- Another wonderful thing about whale sharks is that they can retract their eyes into their body.
Their habitat:
- Most reports of them belong near the coast of warmer waters in the open ocean.
Their food:
- They feed on plankton, fish eggs, small fish, small squid, and krill.
Their features:
They usually open their mouth while swimming to easily suck food and seawater.
2- Basking Shark
Their appearance:
- their length is about 50 feet long.
- they have big mouths and while feeding on the water’s surface looks like a bask in the sunlight.
- they have hundreds of small, curved, useless teeth.
- they have gill rakers to catch the plankton.
Their habitat:
- they live in temperate water all over the world.
Their food:
- They are plankton feeders.
Their features:
They move slowly with a gaping mouths to feed on plankton.
Its conservation status is endangered because it’s hunting for its meat, fins, and liver oil.
3- Mega mouth
Their appearance:
- Its length is about 25 feet
- a huge head
- a flabby body
- a thresher-like tail
- huge prominent lips
- small and useless teeth are
Their habitat:
There are reports of them in the deep waters (around 3280 feet) of Japan, Hawaii, and California.
Their food:
- They are plankton feeders and other small animals such as jellyfish
- they keep their mouth open while swimming to hunt plankton.
Their features:
They are completely harmless to humans.
4- Tiger shark
Their appearance:
- their length can reach 24.6 feet long
- some people think their name comes after a dangerous behavior but it’s wrong and it is because of the presence of stripe shapes on its body
Their habitat:
- Its habitat is warm waters near the coast and there are reports of them it being close to the equator and Japan
Their food:
- They feed on seals, squid, sea turtles, dolphins, fish, jellyfish, crustaceans, other sharks, and every animal whose jaws can cut it.
5- Greenland shark
Their appearance:
- They are about 24-foot-long
Their habitat:
- They live in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and the Arctic
Their food:
- They hunt fish and squid while the prey is asleep.
Their features:
- The wonderful things about them are their life span is about 500 years
- They don’t reproduce until they reach 100 and 150 years’ old
- Their conservation status is vulnerable.
- their flesh of meat is poisonous to humans because of the high level of trimethylamine N-oxide inside it.
6- Great White shark
Their appearance:
- they can reach up to 20 feet in length
- their weight is about two and a half tons
Their habitat:
- Except for the Poles, they live in waters all over the world including Japan, Oceania, Chile, the northeastern United States, California, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Their food:
- They feed on pinnipeds, porpoises, dolphins, sea turtles, seabirds, tuna, other sharks, and large whales.
Their features:
- They are very aggressive and fearsome
- Its conservation status is vulnerable
- They migrate through seas and can swim thousands of miles.
7- Great Hammerhead
Their appearance:
- they can reach 20 feet.
- They are not bigger than other hammerheads
- Their straight hammer is different from other hammerheads
- Their first fin is on their back and it is tall and curved
Their habitat:
- They live in tropical and temperate seas worldwide
- Most reports belong to those near the coast on continental shelves.
Their food:
- Their favorite food is stingrays
Their features:
- They are critically endangered because they are extra hunting
- Although they are intimidating It is rare to attack humans
- their pregnancy period is about 11 months
- a female Great Hammerhead can give birth to 55 pups
- the life span of a great hammerhead is about 50 years.
8- Thresher shark
Their appearance:
- Their length is about 18.8 feet and can grow to around in length
- They have long tails that cover much of their length.
Their habitat:
- Their habitat is the open ocean
- Sometimes they come near a shore especially North Pacific around Asia and the North American
Their food:
- They feed on sardines, mackerel, small hake, squid, anchovies, and other pelagic fish.
Their features:
They are hunted for:
- Sport
- Cooking shark fin soup
- their meat
- their livers’ oil
- making leather from their skin
9- Bluntnose Sixgill shark (cow shark)
Their appearance:
- Their average length is about 15.8 feet long however they can reach 20 feet
- They have a blunt head
- Their small eyes without a protective nictitating membrane
- There is a single dorsal fin in their back
Their habitat:
- There are reports of them around the world including tropical and temperate seas
- They often inhabitant deep in the ocean
Their food:
- They feed on octopuses and other marine animals that they can hunt with their jaws.
Their features:
- Scientists believe that they are primitive animals.
- They are not dangerous to humans unless they feel threatened.
10- Longfin Mako
Their appearance:
- They can reach up to 14 feet long.
- They have disproportionately long pectoral fins.
Their habitat:
- There are reports of them around the world including the temperate and tropical seas.
Their food:
- They feed on cuttlefish, fish, squid, and octopus.
Their features:
- Their eggs hatch inside the body of females and babies can feed on unfertilized eggs in their mothers’ wombs.
- They are less agile swimmers than other their relative sharks.
- They are on the list of endangered animals too.
Conclusion
In this article, we talked with you about the top 10 biggest sharks in the world, including Whale Shark, Basking Shark, Megamouth, Tiger shark, Greenland shark, Great White shark, Great Hammerhead, Thresher shark, Bluntnose Sixgill shark, and Longfin Mako.
Do you think sharks are more dangerous for humans or we are more dangerous for them? Have you ever seen a shark in close? Do you have any experience with them? Please share your idea and experience with our readers below this page.