A shortfin mako swims through turquoise waters off the coast of New Zealand's North Island.
6 Amazing Sharks You've Never Heard Of
From tiny plant-eaters to huge Arctic dwellers, these sharks are far more fascinating than fearsome.
When people think of sharks, they often picture a great white or a hammerhead—but these popular predators represent a very small proportion of global shark diversity.
There are over 520 shark species— a fifth of which have been found in the past decade. You’ve probably never heard of the tiny cookiecutter shark or the Arctic-dwelling Greenland shark, but that doesn’t mean these creatures aren’t worthy of your attention. (Explore the interactive graphic “Sizing Up Sharks, the Lords of the Sea.”)
Not only are sharks beautiful—photographer Brian Skerry calls them “a blend of grace and power that lures me into the sea time after time”—they need our help. According to some estimates, 100 million sharks from a variety of species
