…sharks: beauty rankings

There are over around 440 known species of shark. The full list is coming soon, but for now, here are 15 sharks ranked in order of beauty…

 

15.
Goblin Shark.

They are sometimes translucent so appear pink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ugly as sin, with the weirdest in mouth of all sharks, a nose like a small spade, and beady little eyes, the goblin shark comfortably takes the bottom spot on this list. No contest.

 

14.
Megamouth Shark.

It was only discovered 39 years ago. Known as ‘Alien Shark.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

It barely even resembles a shark in my opinion, and it’s big swollen, puffy mouth is weird. If a troll/orc was a shark it would look like this.

 

13.
Frilled Shark

Eats mainly squid, though has never been witnessed feeding, so we we have no idea how said squid is hunted or consumed.

 

 

 

 

 

It looks more like an eel or serpent and seems very evil as well as hideous.

 

12.
Greenland Shark

They live for a very long time. Scientists recently found a female that was 400 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

Blotchy, rough looking skin, and those weird eyes and stumpy, rounded nose, leave the greenland shark low on this list.

 

11.
Basking Shark

A quarter of their body weight is their liver. It is huge.

 

 

 

 

 

It might look better if it closed it’s mouth, but cleverly, the basking shark chooses survival over vanity, because a shark’s gotta eat.

 

10.
Hammerhead Shark

They have a 360 degree vertical view.

 

 

 

 

 

Those set apart, googly eyes may provide certain perks, but not in the visual department.

 

9.
Tiger Shark

Nicknamed ‘The Garbage Can of the Sea’ because they will eat anything.

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly for these guys, dark tiger-like stripes and markings they’re born with fade over time, and you can see the anger in the eyes of this, the most aggressive of all sharks

 

8.
Great White Shark

They can leap up to two metres in the air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As angry as their tiger shark cousins, but the clean white stomach and sheer size gives the great white the edge in this beauty contest.

 

7.
Bull Shark

To escape predators such as larger sharks or killer whales, they throw up as a distraction technique.

 

 

 

 

 

Elegantly shaped despite their bullish form, strong, with a tall dorsal fin, bull sharks look awesome.

 

6.
Mako Shark

They are the fastest of all sharks, reaching speeds of 50mph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleeker than its bullish cousin, the mako shark is similarly elegant and graceful in the water, streamlined for speed and a lovely shade of blue.

 

5.
White Tip Reef Shark

They are very slow swimmers and are often seen swimming alongside female pilot whales, possibly using them as ‘cover’ from their prey.

 

 

 

 

 

The white tips on the fins and tail of this species of shark are practical (speculation has led scientists to believe these white tips may appear like schools of smaller fish to potential prey, luring them close), but they also give this shark the first spot in the top 5.

 

4.
Blue Shark

They spend time in hierarchical groups. The hierarchy of these groups is determined by sex and size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slender for speed, varying shades of blue, and large, shining hematite like eyes make the blue shark a real looker of the shark world.

 

3.
Zebra Shark

Has been observed giving a ‘virgin birth’ in an aquarium in Australia. A female laid 41 eggs without any contact with a male zebra shark in years. Three of these eggs hatched into normal healthy zebra shark pups.

 

 

 

 

 

Named zebra shark on account of zebra like markings and stripes that appear on the young sharks. These stripes fade with age but are replaced with spots, still lovely, and still very pretty.

 

2.
Leopard Shark

Absorbs oxygen more efficiently than other sharks due to higher red blood cell count,  a feature it puts to good use in the murky/muddy waters it likes to inhabit and within.

 

 

 

 

 

Striking pattern, these small sharks lose no beauty points due to their slightness. Easily number two on this list.

 

1.
Whale Shark

Their patterns are so varied and distinguishable, that individual whale sharks can be cataloged based on their markings, and studied further in this way.

 

 

 

 

 

The most beautiful of all sharks, easily in my opinion. with a bluish, greyish, brownish back, those cream and white coloured spots, vertical and horizontal stripes, and a clean white underside. These graceful giants win the crown of most beautiful shark.

 

Find out more about the whale shark in another one of my posts here.