Feared by most, loved by some and hunted by many, sharks are one of the most mysterious groups of creatures roaming the Earth today. Defined as a fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a sleek, streamlined body, a shark can range in size from the two foot pygmy shark, to the colossal 50-foot whale shark.There are more than 250 different species of sharks currently identified, making it one of the most diverse animal genera on the planet. Sharks are found in every major body of saltwater in the world, but are more common in warmer waters. There are a small number of shark species that do thrive in fresh water, and certain sharks have been known to venture from their saltwater homes to major freshwater lakes and rivers.Most members
Latest about Sharks
Searching for 'Makozilla' — the supersized mako sharks in the North Pacific
A decade after a huge mako shark dubbed "The Beast" was caught off the California coast, experts search for its enormous relatives.
Tasselled wobbegong: The master of disguise that can eat a shark almost as big as itself
Tasselled wobbegong sharks are so well camouflaged they can vanish on the seafloor, waiting for unsuspecting prey to pass before lunging forward to suck their victims into their giant mouths.
'It's like we opened a buffet': Sharks in Gulf of Mexico learn to steal food from fishing nets
Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico are learning to associate boat engines with food, leading to more and more cases of depredation, experts say.
Florida shark attacks caused by heat, not scary orcas, experts say
People had linked recent shark attacks in the Florida panhandle to orca activity in the Gulf. But a combination of dry weather and heat was the real driving force.
Ancient, 30-foot relative of great white shark unearthed in Mexico quarry
"Exceptionally preserved" fossils of an ancient shark that lived alongside the dinosaurs has finally revealed what the predator looked like — and why it may have gone extinct.
Watch hammerhead sharks swim in 'cyclones' around ancient volcano in rare footage
Filmmakers have captured hundreds of hammerhead sharks circling a volcanic island off Costa Rica for a new Netflix wildlife series.
There's 5 times as many bull sharks off Alabama now — but don't worry about shark bites
Juvenile bull shark numbers have significantly increased in Mobile Bay, Alabama, as waters warm — but swimmers don't need to worry, researchers say.
Elusive prickly sharks spotted gathering at underwater mountain off Panama — but why remains a mystery
Researchers have spotted an atypical gathering of rare prickly sharks around a seamount off Panama.
