Sharks Quiz
Great whites, makos, megalodon and mermaid's purses: 15 questions on the ocean's most feared predators.
A shark's skeleton is made entirely of which material?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cartilage
Sharks, along with rays and skates, have skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is about half the density of bone, which helps sharks save energy since they have no swim bladder.
Because cartilage rarely fossilises, most of what we know about ancient sharks comes from their teeth.
Which species of shark was the monster in the 1975 film Jaws?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Great white shark
Jaws featured a huge great white shark terrorising the beach town of Amity Island. Director Steven Spielberg used three mechanical sharks, all nicknamed Bruce after his lawyer.
Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel, later became a shark conservationist and said he regretted the fear his story created.
Which shark is instantly recognisable by its flattened, T shaped head?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hammerhead shark
Hammerhead sharks have a wide, flattened head called a cephalofoil, with eyes set at each end. It gives them superb binocular vision and spreads their electrical sensors over a wider area.
Hammerheads sometimes gather in schools of hundreds by day around seamounts, then split up to hunt alone at night.
How many pairs of gill slits do most shark species have?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Five
Most sharks have five gill slits on each side of the head, five pairs in all, which is how great whites, makos and hammerheads breathe. Only a handful of primitive species have six or seven pairs.
Many sharks must keep swimming to push water over their gills, but nurse sharks can pump water themselves and rest on the sea floor.
Which plankton eating shark is the second largest fish in the sea after the whale shark?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Basking shark
The basking shark grows to around 8 m (26 ft) and more, cruising with its enormous mouth open to filter plankton. It is named for its habit of feeding slowly near the surface, as if basking in the sun.
Basking sharks are regular summer visitors to the waters off Cornwall, the Isle of Man and the west coast of Scotland.
Which shark is known for swimming far up rivers and has been found in the Mississippi and the Amazon?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Bull shark
Bull sharks have special kidneys and glands that let them regulate salt levels in fresh water. They have been recorded more than 1,000 km up the Mississippi and 4,000 km up the Amazon.
A population of bull sharks lives in Lake Nicaragua, reaching it by leaping up the rapids of the San Juan River like salmon.
Which species is credited as the fastest shark in the ocean, with bursts of around 74 km/h (46 mph)?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Shortfin mako
The shortfin mako is built like a tuna, with a crescent tail, a streamlined body and the ability to keep its muscles warmer than the surrounding water, giving it bursts of roughly 74 km/h (46 mph).
Makos are famous for spectacular leaps and can jump as high as 6 m (20 ft) out of the water.
Shark skin feels like sandpaper because it is covered in tiny tooth like scales. What are they called?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Dermal denticles
Shark skin is covered in dermal denticles, tiny V shaped scales with the same structure as teeth, complete with enamel and dentine. They reduce drag and let sharks swim quietly.
Swimsuit makers have copied denticle patterns to cut drag, and shark skin was once used as sandpaper and sword grips.
Sharks detect the faint electric fields of hidden prey using jelly filled pores on the snout called what?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ampullae of Lorenzini
The ampullae of Lorenzini are pores filled with conductive jelly that connect to nerve cells. They are sensitive enough to detect the heartbeat of a flatfish buried in sand.
They are named after Stefano Lorenzini, the Italian physician who described them in 1678, although their purpose was not understood until the 1960s.
Sharks have no swim bladder. Which large, oil rich organ helps them stay buoyant instead?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Liver
A shark's liver can make up a quarter of its body weight and is packed with squalene, an oil lighter than water. It provides lift so the shark does not sink while swimming slowly.
Shark liver oil was once a major source of vitamin A and is still used in some cosmetics, which has driven overfishing of deep sea species.
Which shark uses its extraordinarily long upper tail fin, often as long as its body, to whip and stun fish?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Thresher shark
Thresher sharks herd schools of sardines and then slap them with a tail that can be as long as the rest of the body, stunning or killing several fish with each strike.
High speed footage from the Philippines in 2013 showed threshers whipping their tails fast enough to create tiny bubbles.
The leathery egg cases of some sharks, skates and rays that wash up on beaches are known by what nickname?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mermaid's purses
Mermaid's purses are the empty egg cases of egg laying sharks such as catsharks, along with skates. Curly tendrils at the corners anchor them to seaweed while the embryo develops inside for months.
Only around 40 percent of shark species lay eggs. The rest, including great whites, give birth to live young.
Roughly when did the giant prehistoric shark Otodus megalodon become extinct?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
3.6 million years ago
Megalodon lived from about 23 million years ago until roughly 3.6 million years ago, when cooling seas, shrinking prey and competition from the great white's ancestors likely drove it to extinction.
Its teeth reach 18 cm (7 in) long, and estimates put the largest individuals at somewhere between 14 and 24 m (47 and 80 ft).
Sharks, rays and chimaeras all belong to which class of fish?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes means cartilaginous fish, and the class includes all sharks, rays, skates and the deep water chimaeras, united by skeletons of cartilage rather than bone.
The bony fish, Osteichthyes, make up more than 95 percent of all fish species, from goldfish to tuna.
Which small deep sea shark feeds by biting neat round plugs of flesh out of whales, tuna and even submarines?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cookiecutter shark
The cookiecutter shark, only about 50 cm (20 in) long, attaches with suctioning lips, spins, and removes a round plug of flesh with razor like lower teeth. Its glowing underside lures larger animals in.
US Navy submarines in the 1970s suffered mysterious damage to their rubber sonar domes that was eventually traced to cookiecutter bites.
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All Science quizzes →About the Sharks Quiz
Sharks have no bones at all, bull sharks have been found hundreds of miles up the Mississippi, and the shortfin mako can hit bursts of around 74 km/h (46 mph). The giant Otodus megalodon, meanwhile, vanished about 3.6 million years ago after ruling the seas for 20 million.
These 15 questions cover the famous species, from great whites and hammerheads to thresher and cookiecutter sharks, plus the biology that makes them such successful hunters: electric sensing, tooth like skin, oily livers and egg cases that wash up on beaches. Start with the easy ones and work up to the deeper cuts. Perfect for Shark Week fans, divers and anyone who still thinks about Jaws before swimming.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Do sharks have bones?
No. A shark's skeleton is made entirely of cartilage, the same flexible tissue found in a human nose and ears, which is lighter than bone and helps the shark stay afloat.
What is the fastest shark?
The shortfin mako is credited as the fastest shark, with bursts of around 74 km/h (46 mph), and it can leap several metres clear of the water.
How many gills do sharks have?
Most sharks have five pairs of gill slits on the sides of the head. A few species, such as the sixgill and sevengill sharks, have more.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- A shark's skeleton is made entirely of which material?
Cartilage Sharks, along with rays and skates, have skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is about half the density of bone, which helps sharks save energy since they have no swim bladder. Because cartilage rarely fossilises, most of what we know about ancient sharks comes from their teeth. - Which species of shark was the monster in the 1975 film Jaws?
Great white shark Jaws featured a huge great white shark terrorising the beach town of Amity Island. Director Steven Spielberg used three mechanical sharks, all nicknamed Bruce after his lawyer. Peter Benchley, who wrote the novel, later became a shark conservationist and said he regretted the fear his story created. - Which shark is instantly recognisable by its flattened, T shaped head?
Hammerhead shark Hammerhead sharks have a wide, flattened head called a cephalofoil, with eyes set at each end. It gives them superb binocular vision and spreads their electrical sensors over a wider area. Hammerheads sometimes gather in schools of hundreds by day around seamounts, then split up to hunt alone at night. - How many pairs of gill slits do most shark species have?
Five Most sharks have five gill slits on each side of the head, five pairs in all, which is how great whites, makos and hammerheads breathe. Only a handful of primitive species have six or seven pairs. Many sharks must keep swimming to push water over their gills, but nurse sharks can pump water themselves and rest on the sea floor. - Which plankton eating shark is the second largest fish in the sea after the whale shark?
Basking shark The basking shark grows to around 8 m (26 ft) and more, cruising with its enormous mouth open to filter plankton. It is named for its habit of feeding slowly near the surface, as if basking in the sun. Basking sharks are regular summer visitors to the waters off Cornwall, the Isle of Man and the west coast of Scotland. - Which shark is known for swimming far up rivers and has been found in the Mississippi and the Amazon?
Bull shark Bull sharks have special kidneys and glands that let them regulate salt levels in fresh water. They have been recorded more than 1,000 km up the Mississippi and 4,000 km up the Amazon. A population of bull sharks lives in Lake Nicaragua, reaching it by leaping up the rapids of the San Juan River like salmon. - Which species is credited as the fastest shark in the ocean, with bursts of around 74 km/h (46 mph)?
Shortfin mako The shortfin mako is built like a tuna, with a crescent tail, a streamlined body and the ability to keep its muscles warmer than the surrounding water, giving it bursts of roughly 74 km/h (46 mph). Makos are famous for spectacular leaps and can jump as high as 6 m (20 ft) out of the water. - Shark skin feels like sandpaper because it is covered in tiny tooth like scales. What are they called?
Dermal denticles Shark skin is covered in dermal denticles, tiny V shaped scales with the same structure as teeth, complete with enamel and dentine. They reduce drag and let sharks swim quietly. Swimsuit makers have copied denticle patterns to cut drag, and shark skin was once used as sandpaper and sword grips. - Sharks detect the faint electric fields of hidden prey using jelly filled pores on the snout called what?
Ampullae of Lorenzini The ampullae of Lorenzini are pores filled with conductive jelly that connect to nerve cells. They are sensitive enough to detect the heartbeat of a flatfish buried in sand. They are named after Stefano Lorenzini, the Italian physician who described them in 1678, although their purpose was not understood until the 1960s. - Sharks have no swim bladder. Which large, oil rich organ helps them stay buoyant instead?
Liver A shark's liver can make up a quarter of its body weight and is packed with squalene, an oil lighter than water. It provides lift so the shark does not sink while swimming slowly. Shark liver oil was once a major source of vitamin A and is still used in some cosmetics, which has driven overfishing of deep sea species. - Which shark uses its extraordinarily long upper tail fin, often as long as its body, to whip and stun fish?
Thresher shark Thresher sharks herd schools of sardines and then slap them with a tail that can be as long as the rest of the body, stunning or killing several fish with each strike. High speed footage from the Philippines in 2013 showed threshers whipping their tails fast enough to create tiny bubbles. - The leathery egg cases of some sharks, skates and rays that wash up on beaches are known by what nickname?
Mermaid's purses Mermaid's purses are the empty egg cases of egg laying sharks such as catsharks, along with skates. Curly tendrils at the corners anchor them to seaweed while the embryo develops inside for months. Only around 40 percent of shark species lay eggs. The rest, including great whites, give birth to live young. - Roughly when did the giant prehistoric shark Otodus megalodon become extinct?
3.6 million years ago Megalodon lived from about 23 million years ago until roughly 3.6 million years ago, when cooling seas, shrinking prey and competition from the great white's ancestors likely drove it to extinction. Its teeth reach 18 cm (7 in) long, and estimates put the largest individuals at somewhere between 14 and 24 m (47 and 80 ft). - Sharks, rays and chimaeras all belong to which class of fish?
Chondrichthyes Chondrichthyes means cartilaginous fish, and the class includes all sharks, rays, skates and the deep water chimaeras, united by skeletons of cartilage rather than bone. The bony fish, Osteichthyes, make up more than 95 percent of all fish species, from goldfish to tuna. - Which small deep sea shark feeds by biting neat round plugs of flesh out of whales, tuna and even submarines?
Cookiecutter shark The cookiecutter shark, only about 50 cm (20 in) long, attaches with suctioning lips, spins, and removes a round plug of flesh with razor like lower teeth. Its glowing underside lures larger animals in. US Navy submarines in the 1970s suffered mysterious damage to their rubber sonar domes that was eventually traced to cookiecutter bites.
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