16 photos of sharks that show they're the most majestic creatures of the seas

However, the oldest known "modern" sharks can be traced back to 195 million years ago, according to the Natural History Museum.

According to the Smithsonian, there are over 500 known shark species, though many are endangered or declining due to various factors like overfishing.

Instead, they have cartilage — that's what makes up human noses and ears.

Whale sharks can grow to be 60-plus feet long — that's a solid 20 feet longer than a school bus.

In actuality, there are nine different hammerhead species. Some can be quite large, up to 18 feet, while the smallest species can be just 3 feet long.

The hammerhead's distinctly hammer-shaped head provides them with a hunting advantage and better depth perception.

Sharks tend to be solitary creatures, but scalloped hammerheads like to be around friends and family! The younger hammerheads likely stay together for protection, but it's unclear why full-grown sharks would stick together.

The schools that consist of all adult sharks go their separate ways at night, but reconvene during the day.

It is believed that each whale shark's pattern is unique, like a human's fingerprint.

The largest great white ever recorded, Deep Blue, weighs in at a staggering 2 tons, or 4,000 pounds.

They usually swim upwards to surprise their prey from beneath, and then leap out of the water.

However, great whites don't tend to like the taste of humans. Instead, when they attack, it's theorized that they're just getting a test bite. But good news — shark attacks are falling. There were just 64 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2019.

Mako sharks are also known for their incredible speed. They've been known to reach speeds of 31 miles per hour.

While some question cage diving and its implications on sharks and feeding habits, others say it's helped spark a conversation about conservation.

"Divers in shark cages doing eco-tourism around the world has done some good. When I started diving with sharks decades ago, no one was interested in seeing sharks. Now there are shark ambassadors around the world. They've done some good things in trying to change the view most people have that sharks are dangerous," underwater photographer and shark diving expert Brian Skerry told National Geographic.

For sharks, survival of the fittest begins before birth. According to Live Science, shark litter-mates all compete until the largest embryo eats all but one of their siblings.

That's four times as strong as the bite of a tiger or lion.

According to PETA, you have a one in 3.7 million chance of being killed by a shark.

• Read more:
• Divers found numerous megalodon teeth in a flooded Mexican cave. The gigantic prehistoric shark grew to 60 feet long.
• Wild video shows a 'monster' hammerhead shark stealing a 180-pound fish straight out of a fisherman's hands
• Scientists have discovered why two sharks glow bright green in the depths of the ocean
• The movie 'Jaws' was inspired by a real shark: In 1916, New Jersey residents engaged in 'active warfare' with a shark that killed four people