5 Things I Learned About Sand Tiger Sharks

Big budget movies have encouraged us to be scared of sharks. In truth, there’s much more to revere than to fear when it comes to sharks. In fact, as their number one threat (humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks every year just for their fins), we need to protect these apex predators to keep aquatic ecosystems in balance. In honor of Fin Fest, our week-long celebration of sharks, I set out to learn more about sand tiger sharks.

You can see sand tiger sharks (and three other species of shark) in the 230,000-gallon shark exhibit at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, where curiosity is only natural.