Sharks are a successful predator. When we think of this sea creature, we almost always think of horror movies with the carnivorous beasts with the strongest jaws on the planet. This sea monster haunts both marine creatures and humans. It is so scary that it makes some people wish that sharks no longer exist.
They have swum in the oceans for 400 million years and diversified over time to colonize rivers and lakes. There are more than 500 species of sharks alive on Earth today, and there may be more yet to be discovered.
When it comes to sharks, people immediately think of one of the carnivorous animals with the strongest jaws on the planet.
Sharks are found in all ecosystems around the world, including mangrove forests, tropical coral reefs, and the frigid Arctic Ocean. Regardless of where they live or how large they are, all sharks are predators and play a vital role in the health of their environment.
The disappearance of apex predators like sharks would cause a huge ecological imbalance, causing many other animals to die out. The seas would certainly still be a deep blue, but without sharks, the ocean ecosystem would not be the same.
Sharks easily prey on smaller, weaker fish, ensuring a healthy fish population of a size appropriate to that habitat. They can even help protect that ecosystem by their presence. For example, tiger sharks that swim around seagrass meadows will scare turtles away from the vegetation.
Sharks have lived on Earth for hundreds of millions of years.
According to Nature magazine, since 1970, the number of sharks and rays living in the world's oceans has decreased by more than 70%. The main cause of this rapid decline is mainly due to overfishing by humans.
Scientists ask the question, what would happen if sharks completely disappeared from the ocean? When there are no sharks, the number of small fish will increase sharply because there are no enemies. At that time, their food is plankton, microorganisms, small shrimp will be eaten. Not enough food, eventually some species will starve. Algae and bacteria will invade the coral reef, making it unable to photosynthesize. The coral will die, leaving only its skeleton and turning into limestone. Finally, the marine ecosystem will not be balanced, humans will not have enough food.
Sharks help to eliminate weaker individuals in the school when hunting, thereby ensuring a healthy fish population at a size appropriate to the habitat. Sharks also help to regulate oxygen production in the ocean by eating juvenile fish, indirectly allowing oxygen-producing plankton to thrive and helping to regulate oxygen levels in the ocean.
The marine ecosystem is unbalanced, and humans will not have enough food if sharks disappear.
Sharks also provide food for ocean predators. The liverless great white sharks that washed up on South African beaches are believed to be victims of killer whales.
Despite their importance, about 25% of shark species are now threatened with extinction. This is because they have few offspring and grow slowly. Many species that live in mangrove forests also face habitat loss as forests are cleared for residential development.
If sharks disappear, the impacts on ocean food webs will eventually affect humans. It is important to understand how much the ocean needs sharks, and how much we need them.
