Tropicarium Park | Fearsome, mysterious and ancient: sharks

The most fearsome marine animals are sharks. But do you really know everything about them?

Sharks have always been the protagonists of books and films, but not everyone knows that there are 500 species in the world, 47 of which belong to the Mediterranean Sea alone, and that they have existed for some 450 million years! These animals are always depicted as ferocious predators that prey on humans as their meal, but this is obviously not true. There are only about ten incidents a year of attacks and most of the time it happens because they confuse the silhouette of surfers with that of seals. Many species are actually not carnivorous and are harmless to both humans and other marine animals. An example? The whale shark, which feeds almost exclusively on plankton.

Did you also know that sharks do not sleep? In order to breathe, they need to move, as they must always have water above them. Through their gills, the animal takes in oxygen from the water and leaves behind carbon dioxide. For this reason, they can never stop and therefore hardly sleep. They stay with their eyes always open and move slowly while having a small part of their brain at rest, just like dolphins.

Would you like to find out more about these curious animals? Come and see them swim here at the Tropicarium Park. We are waiting for you!

For more information www.tropicarium.it