Main Content
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Great White Shark
Photograph by David Doubilet
This close-up of a great white shark's mouth shows its rows of sharp teeth. When a shark loses a tooth, a replacement moves forward to replace it.
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Great White Shark
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry
Great whites are torpedo-shaped with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour.
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Hammerhead Shark
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry
Hammerheads are aggressive hunters, feeding on smaller fish, octopuses, squid, and crustaceans. They do not actively seek out human prey, but are very defensive and will attack when provoked.
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Galápagos Shark
Photograph by Wolcott Henry
Female Galápagos sharks are often seen with deep mating scars caused by males biting their gills, fins, and flanks in a dominance display.
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Basking Shark
Photograph by Nick Caloyianis
The mouthy basking shark is a filter-feeder. It is the second-largest shark, after the whale shark, reaching lengths up to 33 feet (10 meters).
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Nurse Shark
Photograph courtesy Dr. Mathew Gilligan/NOAA
Nurse sharks prefer to dwell near the sea floor in the warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.
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Sand Tiger Sharks
Photograph by David Doubilet
Despite their rows of ragged teeth and vicious appearance, sand tiger sharks are actually rather docile, usually attacking humans only in self-defense.
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Tiger Shark
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger
So called because of the tiger-like stripes on juveniles, the tiger shark is, like its terrestrial namesake, a voracious hunter.
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Whale Shark
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry
Gentle giants, whale sharks filter-feed, swimming with their wide mouths open, collecting plankton and small fish.
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Bull Shark
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry
Among the most likely sharks to attack humans, bull sharks favor shallow coastal waters—the same places humans prefer to swim.
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Blacktip Reef Shark Swimming
Photograph by David Doubilet
The blacktip reef shark, not to be confused with the more aggressive blacktip shark, is found mainly in the shallow, tropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Shark Features
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All About Sharks
Sharks have prowled Earth's seas, essentially unchanged, for 400 million years. Learn more about these vital predators with facts, photos, video, and more.
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Photos: Strange Deep-Sea Beasts
See a "prehistoric" shark, a hairy anglerfish, jellyfish glowing like Avatar extras, and more oddities of the Deep Australia Project.
Animals A-Z
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School Contest
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Vote Now
Over 14,000 photographs were submitted to the contest. Vote for your favorite finalists!
National Geographic Magazine
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The Beauty of Insect Eggs
Engineered for survival, insect eggs hang on and hatch wherever their parents deposit them.
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Eels Photo Gallery
The freshwater eel is one of the few fishes to spawn in the ocean and spend its adulthood in lakes, rivers, and estuaries.
