NC Sea Grant 



blip 



V 



orth Carolina State Library 



Raleigh 



August, 1984 



<*9 



N, Q 



Doc 



COAST 4 WATCH 



Illustration by Sarah Friday 



I 



w. 



'hat's tough as a line- 

 backer, fast as a torpedo and 

 as finely tuned as a Mercedes? 

 Sorry, no prizes, but if you 

 guessed "shark," you're right. 

 More than 300 different species of 

 shark are found throughout the world 

 today. Thirty-seven of those swim off the 

 Carolina coast. 

 For centuries, these cartilaginous fish have been 

 some of our most feared animals. But behind that 

 bad reputation are creatures that border on perfec- 

 tion. From head to tail, their bodies seem uniquely 

 designed for their environment. 



Millions of years haven't changed the shark's basic 

 structure, but have refined it in ways. The sharks' an- 

 cestors grew as long as 100 feet and had teeth the size 

 of human hands. Sharks are smaller now, varying in 

 lengths of less than 1 foot to 40 or 50 feet. 



Size isn't the only ominous feature that has helped 

 us form our wary opinions. The tough, leathery hide; 



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