Sharks have existed on earth for over 400 million years! Which means these amazing predators were swimming the oceans 170 million years before the first known dinosaurs roamed the earth, and they have continued to survive and thrive ever since. There are over 500 species of sharks in the world ranging from the smallest Dwarf Lantern shark (which could fit in your hand) to the largest Whale Shark. Sharks can be found in very ocean on the planet and they play a vital role in marine ecosystems and food chains.
Sharks are a specialized type of fish, they are cold blooded, live in water and have gills to filter oxygen with. They are classed as invertebrates (animals with a back bone), however unlike fish their skeletons are made up of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is the material that makes up our ears and noses, it is more light weight and flexible than bone which helps the sharks to float and swim faster and further.
The strength of the cartilage varies throughout the sharks body, more sensitive areas like the head need greater protection so they are made up of calcified cartilage. Calcified cartilage is stronger and tougher than normal cartilage but also less flexible. A mixture of calcified and non calcified cartilage parts throughout the body helps the sharks take advantage of the properties of both materials. They also have specially structured placoid scales (otherwise known as dermal denticles) on their skin. These tiny teeth like structures all point towards the tale helping to streamline the shark and reduce friction and drag from the water as the shark swims.
Because sharks don’t have bones like other fish and animals complete skeletal fossil remains are harder and rarer to find. However we still have a rich and varied catalogue of shark fossils in the form of shark teeth. Sharks have the ability to constantly grow and replace their teeth and some sharks can lose and regrow upto as many as 30,00 teeth in their lifespan. Sharks have several rows of teeth lining their jaws so when a tooth is lost a new one starts to grow at the back causing the other teeth to move forwards fill the hole of the old tooth. Every shark species has uniquely shaped teeth that help them to eat and catch their prey in different ways.
Sharks are carnivorous and they mostly feed on fish on marine invertebrates like crustaceans and mollusks but they will also eat birds and reptiles. Larger species of shark also eat marine mammals like sea lions and seals. They are one of the top marine predators second only to killer whales who hunt and eat several species of shark including great whites. Most sharks are not dangerous to humans, attacks by sharks are very rare and only happen because the shark has mistaken that person for a marine mammal.
Sharks are more endangered by humans then we are by them. Many shark species are killed daily by fishing nets, dredging, pollution and human activity in the ocean. As sharks grow and reproduce more slowly and less often than other fishes it is harder for shark populations to bounce back. The removal of too many sharks in a marine environment has a negative ripple effect on the populations below as it unbalances the food chain
Sharks have six highly developed senses which includes sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing and electromagnetism. Sharks can see well in the dark or in poor lighting conditions because they have a special layer of mirrored crystals behind there eyes like cats eyes this reflects the light back through the retina of the eye again allowing them to process what they see more clearly. They also have a strong sense of smell as water that enters their noses passes across sensory cells that detect chemical signals in the water. Each nostril can detect smells separately and detect which direction they came from in the same way our ears hear directional sound. They also have small pores on their faces containing cells that are sensitive to electrical charges. This helps them to navigate using the Earth’s electromagnetic field and it also helps them to sense the electrical signals given out by prey and other marine animals.
You can find 15 fun and interesting activity ideas below to help you learn more about these amazing predators. From science and sensory to art and crafts there is something for every age and ability to enjoy.
1. Explore the shore
If you live anywhere near the coast you can easily explore a shoreline, beach or tidal river, where you are bound to discover and find a wonderful array of fascinating sea life in the intertidal zone. The intertidal zone is the area of land that in covered by water at high tide and is then exposed at low tide. It can be divided into 3 main areas high, middle and low. Sea life that exists in the high tidal area has to be able to withstand the impact of the waves, keep themselves moist and also be able to avoid predators so they tend to be hardy marine creatures with hard shells like crabs, barnacles and limpets. These marine animals are often the same varieties of animals that sharks prey upon as food. You can use this as an opportunity to talk about the difference between predator and prey and the variety of sea life that sharks eat.
Safety note: please remember that children should be supervised at all times around open water. Please also be aware of the health and safety rules and restrictions of any area you visit.
2. Look for shark eggcases
Some species of shark (as well as skates) reproduce by laying eggs. The eggs contain developing shark embryos and they are protected by a rough leathery case made from collagen protein strands. Once the baby sharks are fully developed they hatch and swim out of the cases, The empty eggcases (often known as mermaid purses) often wash up onto shores . You can often find shark and eggcases along tidal lines washed up amongst seaweed. The shape, size and colour of the eggcases varies by species, you can often work out the species using a identification guide (The Shark Trust have a handy identification guide here). Shark eggcases tend to be longer and thinner than skate eggcases which are more rectangular and often have more prominent horns.
3. Rehydrate a mermaids purse
The eggcases or mermaid purses you find on the shore are likely to be dehydrated having dried out in the sun. This sometimes makes them harder to identify. However rehydrating them is a fun and easy activity in itself, all you need is a container and some fresh water. We like to use jam jars as it makes it easier for little learners to observe and explore the egg cases whilst they are soaking. Then simply leave the eggcases to soak for 24 hours before carefully removing them and placing them on a piece of towel so you can study and identify them further.
4. Take part in the Great Eggcase Hunt
The Great Eggcase hunt is a fun and easy citizen science* project from The Shark Trust that anyone can take part in. All you have to do is explore a local shoreline to see what species of shark and skate eggcases you can find. You can then record your results on their website here. Don’t forget to take a camera phone or camera with you to take pictures of any that you find so that The Shark Trusts experts can help verify any species you have identified.
*Citizen science is when members of the public work together to gather (or analyze) data that helps with scientific understanding or research. It’s a great way to help with conservation by expanding knowledge and understanding of the wildlife in your local areas. You might be surprised to find even the most urban spaces are teeming with plants and wildlife when you take the time to look closely.
5. Make shark and eggcase potato prints
Potato printing is a simple activity for children of ages, all you need is a potato cut in half, a bit of inspiration and some paint to get started. They make great invitations to play for children of all ages and you can use the potato prints to make patterns, pictures, cards or recyclable wrapping paper.
To make potato print mermaids purses first cut a potato in half lengthways, If you are making skate egg cases cut curved horns into each end of the potato to create the outline. If you are making shark egg cases cut the potato sides down a bit first to give you a thinner outline then cut some smaller horns into each end. Finally press your potato halves into black paint and print them onto the paper. You can use a paintbrush to add on tendrils to the horns as well if you like.
To make shark potato prints you need to cut a simple shark outline into a potato half and then dip it into paint and print it onto the paper. You can then add on eyes with pen, paint or finger prints.
6. Make your own mermaid purses
You can easily make simple mermaids purses by cutting the shapes of shark and ray egg cases out from paper, card or fabric like felt. You then just need to seal the sides and one the end of the eggcases with some glue, tape or sewn thread. You could also draw or print and cut out some little shark or skate babies to pop inside your mermaids pursess. This is a great way to demonstrate how the baby sharks and skates develop and grow in the cases before hatching and swimming out.
7. Learn about shark teeth
Every shark species has uniquely shaped teeth that help them to eat and catch their prey in different ways. You can sometimes find shark teeth that have washed up along the shore or you could also buy some online to examine and compare. You can find a great guide to identifying shark teeth here. Shark teeth tend to cheap and easy to get hold off as sharks shed so many during their lifetime. They have several rows of teeth lining their jaws so when a tooth is lost a new one starts to grow at the back causing the other teeth to move forwards fill the hole of the old tooth.
8. Make egg carton sharks
We hate to waste anything and recycling and reusing materials is one of many small things we can all do to help the environment. So instead of chucking used egg cartons we like to find ways to use them in crafts and activities. You can cut easily make little mini egg carton sharks by cutting out the circular bottom sections of an egg carton to form your sharks body. Next add colour and eyes to your egg carton sharks using paint, pens or collaged materials. Finally stick on the sharks pectoral and dorsal fins.
Or you could use the whole of an egg carton to make one larger shark. You just need to paint, draw or collage onto the outside surface egg carton to give your shark colour as well as stick on any additional features like eyes, mouth, teeth, fins and a tail. You can use your finished sharks as decorations, story props, napkin rings or even fill them with sweets or presents to give as gifts. Your egg carton shark also makes the perfect boxes for collecting nature finds from the shore or for using for scavenger hunts.
You could simply collect and fill your shark box with as many natural objects as they can find or you could write a scavenger hunt list of objects to find on the inside of the lid. For example list objects like shells, seaweed, sand, or feather or ask them to find something soft, something spiky, something smooth, something curly, something round. It’s a great way to introduce children to new words and concepts.
9. Make cardboard tube sharks and eggcases
Old wrapping paper or kitchen roll cardboard tubes are also great for arts and crafts. There are two different ways to make cardboard tube sharks. The first is to cut a shark body shape directly into a sideways section of card board tube, then paint, draw or collage on the colour, eyes and dorsal fin.
The second is to cut the tube into 3 or 4 smaller ring segments, each segment will be a shark. Cut the top of each segment to give the sharks rounded heads. Then paint, draw or collage on the colour and eyes. Next cut a small slit in the back of the tube to slot a paper or car dorsal fin in and stick or glue two pectoral fins to the sides of your sharks.
You can also use cardboard tubes to make some fun and simple little shark and skate eggcases. These are really simple to make you just need to cut curved semi circles out of each of the ends of the tubes and then paint them black. The shark eggcases should be longer than the ray eggcases.
10. Make shark nature art frames
Nature art frames are really simple to make, fun to play with and create some wonderful images. You just need an old piece of cardboard a pen and some scissors. We hate to waste anything and recycling and reusing materials is one of many small things we can all do to help the environment. So instead of chucking used cardboard boxes we like to find ways to use them in crafts and activities.
All you need to make a nature frame is to draw a simple shape or picture like a shark or mermaids purse onto cardboard. Your shape or picture should have at least 1- 2 easy to cut out sections that you can then look through. When you have cut out the see through sections of your frames, you can take them outside to hold them up against any of the interesting natural objects, textures, patterns and shapes you can see, like the water, shore, sky, trees, flowers and grass for example.
The picture you see or create with the frames changes as you move the paper around. It s fun to see all the beautiful patterns, shapes and colours of nature bring your pictures to life. You could even take photos of the nature frames as you go to capture the artwork and pictures they create.
11. Shark nature art
Nature art (also sometimes called land art) is a wonderful nature activity that encourages creativity and fine motor skills in children of all ages and abilities. All you need is some imagination and natural materials to make pictures of animals like sharks, or shapes and patterns or letters, numbers and words.
You could have a nature treasure hunt in the garden or go on on a nature walk along the shore to find natural materials to use like leaves, sticks, stones, shells, grass, plant stems, bark, fallen fruit, nuts, seeds and flowers*. *But pretty please don’t pick any wild flowers, only collect ones you have grown yourself or fallen ones you find on the floor.
12. Painted pebble sharks
We love finding painted pebbles and stones when we are out and about, it’s wonderful to see the creativity and love that people put into them. You can easily find pebbles to decorate yourself by looking in your garden, on a nature walk or along the shore. All you need then is some paint or permanent markers to paint or draw colourful designs onto the pebbles or turn them into animals like sharks.
Once you have finished painting your pebbles you could use them in pretend play, as games counters or hide them in your garden and have a treasure hunt. You could even join a local rock finding group where you show pictures of the rocks you have made and invite people to find them in a local park or a safe, easy to access place. Who knows how far your rocks may travel and the adventures they might have may have along the way.
13. Make a snapping shark
Making a snapping shark is really simple. You just need some old cardboard, split pins and paint or pens. First cut out two sections to form the sharks head and jaws. Next cut six even lengths of cardboard strips. Then push the split pins through the cardboard sections in 3 parts connecting them to form a concertina lattice as shown in the photograph below.
Finally paint, colour or decorate your sharks head adding in facial details and then glue it securely to the end of the lattice of cardboard strips. When you pull and push on the ends of the cardboard strip lattice it should move by alternatively contracting backwards and stretching forward snapping the sharks jaws.
14. Learn about the marine food chain
You can learn about the food chain by drawing a simple marine food pyramid. Food pyramids start with the primary producers at the bottom, they tend to be photosynthetic organisms like plants, algae and cyano bacteria. For our marine food pyramid we put these as phytoplankton. Next come the first order consumers, the animals that feed on the primary producers for example crustaceans, next come the secondary consumers or intermediate predators like herring and mackerel, and finally there are the tertiary consumers or the apex predators like sharks which are at the top of the food chain.
15. Make a simple marine food chain
You can easily demonstrate how the food chain works by making some simple animal modals using recycled cardboard packaging. First you will need to cut out some pretend seaweed from green grass, then turn 4-6 egg cartons into primary consumers like crabs. Simply paint the egg cartons a crab like colour and then paint and stick on some eyes, pincers and legs. Next you will need to make 2-3 intermediate predators like a herring or a mackerel. To make a herring or a mackerel you will need a box big enough to fit the 4-6 egg carton crabs in and some card or paper to cut into the shape of a fish. Decorate the fish and stick it onto the box, then cut a hole big enough to fit the crabs though into the side of the box where the fishes mouth is.
Finally you will need an apex predator like a shark. All you need is a large carboard box (or piece of cardboard big enough to fold into a triangle) and some paper. First cut an oval shaped hole into the front face of the box to form the sharks mouth. Then cut some teeth shapes out of the paper to tape or glue around the inside of the mouth. Its slightly easier to cut and stick the teeth individually than it is to cut them out in one go. Next cut two circles out of paper to make the sharks eyes. Draw or paint on some black pupils and stick them onto the box sharks face. If you want you could line the inside of the mouth with coloured paper or paint like we did but this isn’t necessary. Your shark is now finished and ready to use.
Now your models are ready you can start demonstrating how each animal in the food chain depends on the ones below other to survive. To start with feed the seaweed to crabs by placing it inside the egg cartons. Next feed all the crabs to your intermediate predators placing them inside the herring boxes, Finally feed the intermediate predators to shark or apex predator placing the herring boxes inside the mouth of the shark. Look at how many species of animal and plant have ended up inside the shark. Now play the game but remove the crabs, there are no animals to eat the seaweed and the intermediate predators have nothing to eat so they die off, as does the shark because the apex predator now has nothing to eat also.
16. Enjoy small world ocean play
Jelly adds a great sensory element to small world and pretend ocean play. You can easily create an inviting ocean or beach themed set up using jelly for the sea and crumbled biscuits for the sand. You can also use sea themed toy animals like sharks and crabs or toy boats and seashells (make sure they are clean) and fake seaweed to complete your set up. You can even set some of the toy crabs or other sea creatures into the jelly itself. *Just be aware of the choking hazard of any objects you use with small children.
For day 10 of 30 Days wild we searched on the shore for mermaids purses for the Great Eggcase Hunt. We also found sea anemones, crabs, neon seaweed, sponge fossils and a variety of sea snails. Afterwards we made our own shark and ray egg cases as well as some baby sharks to put in them.
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