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They may not live up to the legend of "jaws", but with tall whites up to 20 feet long and most species trapped with several rows of teeth, they are rather intense.
But the stories of their horror have been greatly exaggerated.
Sharks, although incredible predators, do not pose a threat to humans. In fact, humans are more likely to kill sharks than the reverse. According to one study, about 100 million sharks die each year.
For Shark Awareness Day, take a look at some other amazing facts about sharks.
They fight better against global warming than your metal straws
Sharks do more work than even the most awake among us. At the top of the marine food chain, they are biologically responsible for controlling prey populations.
For example, they feed on animals such as sea turtles, which consume huge amounts of marine herbs. The sea grass stores large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. But when the turtle population grows at an unsustainable rate, this critical carbon storage is threatened. Sharks, natural predators of sea turtles, are the only ones able to control this. But it's hard work to do when humans kill sharks in astronomical numbers.
They survived the dinos
Sharks have not only survived the age of dinosaurs, but they were born at a time when these giants had not even walked on Earth. Fossils of sharks have been discovered for 450 million years, indicating that they already existed during the Silurian period, an early part of the Paleozoic era. It was 190 million years before the dinosaurs appeared.
They would give nightmares to a dentist, but they will not spill you
With an average of 45 teeth and seven rows of relief, the mouth of a shark would make nightmares. Sharks lose up to 30,000 teeth during their lifetime, which is why the bottom of the ocean is littered with them.
Their teeth and jaw form an ugly duo, with a great white shark that has a power of nearly 17,790 newtons (about 4,000 pounds per square inch). However, these bad boys rarely find their way to human flesh. You have about 1 chance out of 3,748,067 to be the victim of a shark attack.
Their balance helps them move faster
Basically, sharks are covered with teeth, even on the outside. They have "dermal denticles", ergonomic scales that help them slide into the water with greater ease and speed. These scales help move the current around the sharks to streamline their movements.
Fish are food, not friends – but sharks do not eat much yet
"Finding Nemo" might have tried to tell us the opposite, but science says it's a lie. Sharks eat up to 3 kilos of fish a day and feed opportunistically. They can use their sense of smell and hearing to locate their prey, as well as the "lateral lines" of their body to feel the vibrations of the water.
They have long gestation periods and some breed where they were born
This one is stranger than bewildering, but it's just new enough to be noted. According to a long-term study on lemon sharks, this particular species is known to return to the place of their birth to mate.
And if you think that nine months is bad, then the three and a half years that an ordinary frilly shark gets pregnant is the worst horror. The gestation period of sharks can range from five months to a few years, and some sharks can store sperm for months.
The only things that compete with their noses are their ears
Sharks are not only known for their keen sense of smell, their hearing is also incredibly powerful. Sharks can hear their prey up to one kilometer away, even the coldest sounds, such as disturbances caused by water and muscle contractions.
Humans, although missing 7 rows of teeth, are even worse
It is estimated that every man killed in a shark attack kills 2 million sharks. In fact, the average American annual shark attack is 19, with one death every two years. In comparison, lightning kills 37 people each year.
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