Did you know?
The biggest shark in the world, reaching lengths of over 12 metres, is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), but it’s not the most dangerous. It feeds by filtering very small animals such as shrimps out of the water and has incredibly tiny teeth. The second-largest shark, the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), is also harmless to humans and feeds in the same way. Basking sharks are usually around 7.5 metres long. The largest, most dangerous shark is the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), which at its maximum size is less than half as long as a whale shark but has much bigger teeth – over five centimetres long. Great whites normally like to eat seals and other marine mammals, but have been implicated in hundreds of attacks on humans.