Even though sharks can be dangerous to humans under the right conditions, the vast majority of shark species do not pose a significant risk to people. Humans are not sharks’ natural prey, so most of the time when people are attacked, it’s because the shark mistook them for something else.

Unfortunately, sharks have gained somewhat of a bad reputation, especially over the past few decades. Much of that is due to movies and television shows that portray sharks as dangerous predators.

Fortunately, attitudes are beginning to change about sharks. One of the reasons for this change is because of a holiday known as Shark Awareness Day. This day is observed on July 14th and encourages everyone to learn more about sharks and their importance to our world.

The History of Shark Awareness Day

Although no one really knows the origins of this holiday, our research tends to point to it being first celebrated in the early 2000s by the Shark Working Group of the World Wildlife Fund. Around this time, they had a series of events that attempted to raise the public’s awareness about sharks and their importance to the environment.

Some Important Facts About Sharks

Since we’re on the subject of sharks, we thought that we’d take a few moments to list some of the facts that we learned about them during our research. We think that most people will agree after looking through the following facts that sharks are indeed interesting animals that are worthy of our respect and admiration.

• Sharks get their oxygen from the water by filtering it through their gills.
• Sharks not only have good night vision, but they can also see in color.
• Sharks can also sense electromagnetic fields and temperature shifts in the ocean thanks to special electroreceptor organs.
• If a shark is flipped upside down, they enter a state called tonic immobility. Researchers use this trance-like state to work with sharks in the water.
• Not all sharks have the same teeth. Some sharks have pointy teeth, while others may have serrated teeth.
• Hammerhead sharks have a 360-degree range of motion thanks to their unusual T-shaped heads.

Observing Shark Awareness Day

People can observe Shark Awareness Day by taking the time to learn more about sharks and the particular threats that they face. Some species of sharks are currently at risk of extinction, so it’s important for all of us to do what we can to protect them.

But before we can do that, we first have to learn more about sharks. People can also spread the word about this holiday online using the hashtag #SharkAwarenessDay on social media.