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Are Sharks Predators or Preys of Humans? Maybe It Has Something to Do With the Shark Anatomy!
By Sylvie Leochko

While sharks ended up with the bad reputation of man-eaters, thanks to Hollywood’s taste for fiction, they are actually the ones who need protection. While man has been depicted as their favorite food items, which couldn’t be further from the truth, sharks is more likely to be the one ending up on our table or our medicine cabinet.

How is this possible? Well, if you think about it, there must be a reason why so many shark species are endangered nowadays. In fact, there are several reasons! One of them is pollution which contributes to the destruction of their natural habitat. Another one is sport fishing which increases in popularity. There are always the fishing industries with their nets in which sharks get caught.

And of course, there are also these industries which sell shark liver oil or shark cartilage to companies making these cartilage pills which supposedly can cure Cancer in humans or prevent it. And last but not least, in some Asian cultures, shark fin soup is known as a culinary delicacy.

Do you know what kind of practice is “finning?” It is one of the most inhumane practices there is in the fishing industry. Fishermen catch sharks, cut their fins, preferably the dorsal one, and then get rid of the shark’s carcass by throwing it overboard. The Great White shark is their favorite prey for this soup as the enormous size of its fins is filled with meat which explains the fact that they are now on the endangered species list.

I am not putting down the horror of shark attacks, the nightmares of survivors and the tragedies linked to them. All I am saying is that sharks deserved our respect as we need each other otherwise a huge natural imbalance would be catastrophic for the human kind as well as these creatures of the sea.

We must not forget that every time we set a foot in the ocean, we enter their house without having been invited. As a matter of fact, while certain precautions should be taken to avoid shark attacks we should keep in mind that most of the time, a shark will attack out of confusion or when feeling threatened by human’s presence. Humans are NOT their favorite food; on the contrary, sharks prefer chubby seals than bony humans.

My name is Sylvie Leochko. Sharks have always intrigued me in several ways, their anatomy being one of them. If you wish to learn more about the body functions of a shark’s organs and systems and the products made with them, such as the cartilage pills, I encourage you to visit the following site: http://sharks.findoutnow.org/shark-anatomy.html

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