TIIE WORLD’S LARGEST SHARKS 
433 
and visible tooth there is a line of reserves, from 
three to five in number, always growing outward 
and crowding to the front, so that as soon as a 
tooth in the line of battle becomes much worn, 
or in any way weakened or broken, it is crowded 
off the jaw, and a new tooth is thrust forward into 
its place. 
Many sharks bring forth their young alive; but 
others (the majority, perhaps) lay eggs. Some 
of the egg cases are of remarkable form. Some 
of them are rectangular, flattened, and provided 
at each corner with a long, threadlike tendril 
with which to attach to any fixed object. 
Sharks very rarely exhibit color patterns, or 
bright colors of any kind. As befits pirates and 
freebooters, they are mostly ashy gray, or drab, — 
the most inconspicuous colors at sea, both for 
sharks and men-of-war. The small Tiger Shark, 
of Ceylon ( Stegastoma tigrinum), is one of the 
few sharks of variegated colors, and its handsome 
pattern of yellow and black is a welcome varia- 
tion. 
Only a few of the whole 150 species of sharks 
can rightly be classed as “man-eaters.” A typ- 
ical “ man-eating shark ” is one which is very large, 
exceedingly voracious, practically devoid of fear 
of mankind, and so aggressive that it will attack 
a swimmer at the surface of the water, and devour 
him regardless of his resistance. The standard 
prey for sharks consists of small fishes, squid, 
jelly-fishes, crabs, lobsters and other non-com- 
batants. 
Occasionally, however, the big Tiger Shark 1 
of the Atlantic chooses a victim in his own class 
as a fighter. Dr. Goode notes the capture, by 
Captain Atwood at Provincetown, Mass., of a 
specimen which contained “ nearly a whole full- 
grown sword-fish;” and “ten or twelve wounds 
in the skin of the shark gave evidence of the con- 
test that must have occurred.” 
The “man-eater shark” is not a myth, for that 
name is applied to the great white shark, a species 
which ranges from our Atlantic coast to Australia, 
and on to California. In the tropics it attains a 
length of 30 feet. With us this creature is rated 
1 Gal-e-oc'er-do ti-gri'nus. 
as “exceedingly rare,” and judging from Dr. 
Goode’s notes, not more than a dozen specimens 
are caught and identified in a century. The only 
loss of life from it on our coast, so far as recorded, 
occurred in 1830. 
It is indeed fortunate, and merciful to man- 
kind, that sharks generally are harmless to man. 
Were they otherwise, the terrors of the sea would 
be greatly increased. 
The Mackerel Shark 2 is a fair type of the 
sharks of the world. It is common along both 
coasts of the United States, and the length of 
fully-grown specimens is between 9 and 10 feet. 
The Hammer-Head Shark 3 is a genuine curi- 
osity. With no intermediate forms leading up to 
this strange departure, the head of this creature 
suddenly thrusts out on each side a great shelf of 
cartilage and skin, in the outermost edge of which 
the eye is situated ! It is like a flat-headed shark 
with a seven-inch board t wenty inches long placed 
squarely across its forehead. This species is 
found in the seas of the tropics and subtropics, 
practically around the world. Once when the 
writer was approaching the coast of Barbadoes, 
on a sailing vessel, a large Hammer-Head swam 
for fifteen minutes close to the bow of the ship, 
and quite near the surface. In the Havana 
market I once obtained a specimen nearly ten feet 
long. This species brings forth its young alive, 
and occasionally specimens are taken as far 
north as New Jersey. 
Sizes of Sharks. — The majority of the species 
of sharks are under 8 feet in length, and a few are 
as small as 2 feet, when adult. The largest spe- 
cies are the following: 
The Basking Shark ( Rhinodon typicus) . 45 ft. 
The Bone Shark ( Cetorhinus maximus ) 36 “ 
The Man-Eater or White Shark (Car- 
char odon car char ias) 30 “ 
The Great Tiger Shark ( Galeocerdo ti- 
grinus) 30 “ 
The Hammer-Head ( Sphyrna zygaena). 15 “ 
The Blue Shark ( Carcharias caeruleus ) . 15 “ 
The Thresher Shark ( Alopias vulpes) . . 15 “ 
The Mackerel Shark ( Lamna cornubica ) 10 “ 
3 Lani'na cor-nu'bi-ca. 3 Sphyr'na zy-gae'na. 
