shark

Everyday

1. A shark is a large fish with a long body, fins, rows of sharp teeth and a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone. tree →
2. Informally, a shark is a person who cheats others out of money, like a loan shark. tree →

In the lessons

In science, sharks are fish that breathe with gills, are predators at the top of the ocean food chain and keep losing and growing new teeth. Types: great white, hammerhead, whale shark (the largest fish). In safety at the beach in Australia and elsewhere: swim between the flags, leave the water if there is a shark alarm. In stories they are often shown as monsters. Phrases: shark attack, shark net, loan shark.

Examples

• The shark swam close to the boat. tree →
• Sharks have many rows of teeth. tree →
• The whale shark is the biggest fish in the sea. tree →
• Swim between the flags at the beach. tree →
• A hammerhead shark has a head shaped like a hammer. tree →
• Sharks breathe through gills. tree →
• We saw sharks at the aquarium. tree →
• Most sharks are not dangerous to people. tree →

Note

Countable: one shark, two sharks. A shark is a fish, not a mammal (unlike whales and dolphins). Myth: sharks do not hunt people on purpose; attacks are very rare. Their skeleton is cartilage, like your ears and nose.