The seven senses of sharks (2024)

FAQs

What are the 7 senses of a shark? ›

In addition to those we have – sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste – sharks have two other senses, mediated by specialized receptors: electroreceptors and lateral lines. A shark's most acute sense, the one it may use to detect prey from the greatest distance, is probably its sense of hearing.

A shark's inner ear detects sound, acceleration, and gravity. Sharks use sound to locate food. Sound is often the first sense a shark relies on to detect prey. Under water, sound travels farther and approximately 4.5 times faster than on land.

Up to two thirds of the total weight of a shark's brain is dedicated to smell. They're super-sensitive to smells that are important to their survival. Including scents produced by potential predators, prey or a mate.

Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) became the ocean's top hunters through the evolution of supremely-adapted senses and physiology. SMELL The most acute sense of the Great White Shark is smell. They are able to detect substances of about 1 part per 10 billion parts water.

It used to be thought that sharks had six senses but it is now said that they have eight unique senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste and a distant sense of touch (lateral line), electroreception (ampullae of Lorenzini) and pit organs.

A Shark's Sixth Sense

around their head called ampullae of Lorenzini. These are jelly filled pores that go down to the nerve receptors at the base of the dermis. They are specialized electroreceptor organs that allow the shark to sense electromagnetic fields and temperature changes in the water column.

Sharks are most attracted to low-frequency, erratic thumping sounds that mimic prey in distress. In the Discovery Channel's Bride of Jaws (2015) documentary, researchers used an underwater speaker playing heavy metal music (low-frequency dominated music) to successfully lure great whites for filming purposes.

Most sharks can hear sounds from over 1 km (about 0.6 miles) away – a distance of about 10 and a half football fields! The sharks that can hear the widest ranges of sound are those that swim in the middle of the water column – think bull sharks or lemon sharks.

Smell (olfactory) –Shark have highly developed olfactory senses. Smell is probably the most important sense to them, and are often referred to as ''swimming noses''. In fact, their sense of smell is so highly developed that they are able to smell one millilitre of blood in one million millilitres of water!!

In theory, the combination of eucalyptus, chili, cloves, cayenne pepper, neem, tea tree oil, citronella and beeswax creates an odor that sharks dislike and will seek to avoid if applied to a surfboard.

What color do sharks see best? ›

Sharks were long thought to have poor eyesight, but recent research is revealing new insights into their ability to see colours and if they can distinguish prey from people. Rescue equipment is the colour it is for a very good reason. A splash of orange or yellow stands out against the blue and black of the open ocean.

Unprovoked Shark Attacks by Region of the World

The USA and Australia are the most shark-infested countries in the world. Since the year 1580, a total of 682 shark attacks have killed more than 155 people in Australia. In the United States, 1,563 attacks have already caused over 35 deaths.

Now, a series of experiments has confirmed that the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) — the most commonly found in aquariums — has a seventh sense: it is capable of detecting electric fields, an ability that would help it hunt fish that hide at the bottom of the sea.

Sharks have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators - keeping populations of prey species in check.

The whale shark, along with other shark species, has a sixth sense provided by the presence of specialized nerve cells, located primarily in the head region, called the Ampullae of Lorenzini. These cells are sensitive to and can detect electromagnetic fields transmitted by other animals.

There's that persistent myth that sharks can smell a drop of human blood from a mile away. But that's not exactly true. While sharks can smell human blood, they are more interested in sniffing out what's for dinner: other fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. Ocean currents also play a role in how far a scent can travel.