Sharks are ancient, cartilaginous fish that have roamed the Earth's oceans for over 450 million years, predating trees and dinosaurs. Their skeletons are made entirely of cartilage, a flexible and strong tissue, which makes them lighter and more agile in the water. Sharks possess a unique sense through their Ampullae of Lorenzini, pores on their snouts that detect the faint electrical fields generated by other living creatures, aiding in prey detection.

The Greenland shark holds the record as the longest-living vertebrate, with some individuals estimated to be over 500 years old, attributed to their slow metabolism and frigid deep-sea habitat. While many sharks are apex predators, some, like the enormous whale shark, are gentle giants that filter-feed on plankton and small fish.

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