This is Crunch,
a Shark Beanie Baby made by Ty Inc. Sharks are carnivores that
hunt a variety of prey in the ocean. Normally they feed on fish,
but also attack seals, sea turtles, dolphins, whales and on occasion
they will also attack man. They have few natural enemies.
Sharks are cartilaginous fish having no
true bones.
There are about 400 species of shark. They
belong to the order Pleurotremi. There are three suborders: Notidanoidea,
Squaloidea and Galeoidea. Most sharks belong to the suborder
Galeoidea. This suborder includes the families: Odontaspidae,
Lamnidae, Carchariidae, Scyliorhinidae and Orectolobidae.
The species known to attack man include
bull sharks, tiger sharks, oceanic whitetips and great whites.
Sharks occur mainly in saltwater but do
occur in fresh water as well. The most feared is the Great White
Shark (Carcharadon). Great whites are members of the Lamnidae
family. It is believed that the female great white begins breeding
late in life at the age of 12 to 14. Her pup is born live, four
or five feet long, weighing around 55 pounds. While there have
been claims made that great whites reach lengths of 36 feet,
no great white longer than 19 feet 6 inches has ever been validated.
Shark species look very similar and have
coloring that can be grey, bluish or brownish and some are patterned
with spots and bands.
This
shark (above) is from the Wyland Collection made by Dakin. It
might be a Great White Shark. I don't think I've ever seen such
a happy shark.
As you may suspect, this (left) is a Hammerhead
Shark. Hammerheads (Sphyrnidae) can be anywhere from 4 to 20
feet long. Their head is in the shape of a hammer, hence the
name. They inhabit shallow to relatively deep coastal seas. The
little hammerhead shark shown below is called Sledge and
is a Beanie Baby for the year 2002.
Scientists estimate that worldwide the
population of some shark species has been reduced by as much
as 80 percent.
Here is a 20-inch Hammerhead Shark
from Incredible Petables.
