Junior Trailblazers: Sharks are Tooth-tally Awesome!

Hello, young explorers of Hillsborough County! This month, we're going to dive deep into the fantastic world of sharks and discover more about their most famous features: their teeth!

Image by Malcolm Lidbury: 3.0 Unported license

Sharks have a tooth-tally awesome feature - they can have up to 3,000 teeth at one time! What's even more incredible is that unlike us, when a shark loses a tooth, it simply grows a new one. This results in an ongoing cycle of tooth loss and regrowth, leading to shark teeth washing up along the shore!

Shark teeth can sometimes be very small! Image from Rare Finds: Attribution 2.0 Generic

Here in Tampa Bay, our waters are home to many different species of sharks. The warm summer months bring baby sharks, also known as pups, into our bay, where they are protected from larger predators in deeper Gulf waters. This makes our beloved E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, Apollo Beach Nature Preserve, and Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park ideal places to spot and learn about sharks - and possibly find a shark tooth or two!

Staff and Volunteers planting at Apollo Beach Nature Preserve

Our park rangers are tasked with preserving these natural habitats and ensuring the survival of these amazing creatures. They're also here to help young adventurers like you discover and learn more about our environment. So, what can we learn from shark teeth?

Shark teeth are each unique and can tell us a lot about the shark itself, like what it eats and even how old it is! Sharks that eat larger fish and mammals have sharp, triangular teeth for gripping and tearing, while those that eat smaller fish or invertebrates have thin, needle-like teeth for catching small prey. Over time, shark teeth can fossilize, preserving their structure for thousands, or even millions, of years. 

Lemon Shark by Willy Volk

In Tampa Bay, one type of shark tooth you're likely to find belongs to the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris). These sharks have thin, needle-like teeth that are perfect for catching slippery fish, their primary food source. Lemon sharks get their name from their pale yellow-brown to grey skin, which helps them camouflage against the sandy or rocky bottoms. They're also among the largest sharks you'll find in Tampa Bay, reaching up to 11 feet in length!

Bonnethead shark by Loren Javier

Another shark resident of our bay is the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo). This small shark, often mistaken for a "baby hammerhead," has molar-like teeth at the back of its mouth for crushing crabs and shrimp, its favorite food. Bonnethead sharks also eat seagrass! They are the only known species of shark to eat plants in addition to meat, making them an “omnivore,” rather than a “carnivore” like all other sharks.

Tiger shark by Albert kok: 3.0 Unported license

A third species you might find the teeth of is the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), known for its unique, serrated teeth that function like a saw, enabling them to tear apart larger prey. These distinctive teeth, combined with the tiger shark's powerful bite, make them one of the ocean's top predators! Sharks like these may seem a bit scary, but remember, they are more interested in fish than in people. And like all wild animals, they deserve our respect. Instead of fearing sharks, let's learn how to share the ocean with them. This means swimming in designated areas, avoiding water at dawn and dusk when sharks are more likely to be feeding, and giving sharks plenty of space if you see them.

Cockroach Bay Preserve by Donna P Bollenbach

Exploring our costal preserves and parks, you might stumble upon these tiny (and sometimes large!) teeth washed up on the shores or hidden in the sand. Just remember, if you're lucky enough to find a shark tooth, admire it, learn from it, but leave it where you found it. That way, other adventurers can enjoy the thrill of discovery, too!

So, next time you visit our nature preserves and conservation parks, keep an eye out for these fascinating remnants of our local sharks. Every shark tooth has a story to tell about the life and journey of these incredible creatures. Happy exploring, and remember, sharks are tooth-tally awesome!

Are you ready for an challenge? Now that you've read all about bonnethead, lemon, and tiger sharks, it's time to put your knowledge to the test with our Shark Tooth Matching Game!

Use the descriptions to help you match each tooth to its respective shark. When you've made all your guesses, click here for the answer key and more information on the sharks! Remember, it's not about getting it all right, it's about learning and having fun!