Written by: Addison-Junior Shark Expert

Hi, I am Addison and I have been fascinated by sharks since I was 4 years old. I am still learning about them every day. I would like to tell you about 4 sharks you have probably never heard of.

Everyone knows the most common sharks like the Great White, Bull Shark, and Tiger Shark. Have you ever heard of a shark that can walk on land? How about a shark that has spikes that hold venom? Dive in to this article, and you will learn about 4 very unusual sharks.

1. The Spiny Dogfish Shark

The Spiny Dogfish Shark has to be one of the cutest sharks I have ever seen, BUT, don’t be fooled. They are deadly to other sea creatures. Each dorsal fin has a large venomous spike. They attack their prey by curling into a ball and striking.

The Spiny Dogfish Shark does not get very big. The average size is 28-39 inches. Since they are smaller sharks, they eat smaller foods such as jellyfish, small fish, clams, krill and squid.

2. The Epaulette Shark

The Epaulette Shark is one of the coolest sharks ever. They live in shallow pools and reefs but when the bigger sharks come around, they hide under the rocks. At night, when the the other sharks leave, the Epaulette shark come back out. His favorite dish is Crab.

These sharks are found in the shallow waters of Australia and New Guinea, but when the tide goes out….he is left on land! This is not a problem for the Epaulette Shark because they can breathe on land for up to 60 minutes!

Another neat thing about the Epaulette Shark is that they can walk on land! They use the fins on their bellies to walk until they find their way back to the water. Can you imagine laying on the beach and seeing a shark walk by?! This is where they get the nickname, The Walking Shark.

Sadly, many Epaulette Sharks are injured by people handling them when on land. If you ever encounter one of these awesome sharks, please do not pick them up.

3. The Greenland Shark

If you look closely you will see the white parasite attached to the eye.

The Greenland Shark has to be one of the most fascinating sharks ever. They live VERY deep in the VERY cold Eastern North Atlantic.

All Greenland Sharks have a parasite attached to their eye, causing them to be blind. Therefore, they have to use their sense of smell to hunt for food.

Having a life span of over 200 years , these sharks live a very long and lonely life. They can sometimes live past 400 years old!

The Frilled Shark

Frilled Sharks are more like dinosaurs than sharks. They have been around since the prehistoric days, and they have 300 teeth!

Also, it can swallow food larger than itself. These sharks have 6 rows of gills that look like frills, giving the Frilled Shark its name.

It lives very deep in the dark waters of the Western Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. So deep, that they are rarely ever seen in their habitat.

The Frilled Shark eats squid, a variety of deep sea fish and even other sharks! They live to be around 25 years old, much different than the Greenland Shark.

Thanks for Diving In

I hope you learned some new facts about sharks you have never heard of.

If you love the ocean as much as I do, here are some great websites you can visit to support our oceans.

Surfrider Foundation

Lonely Whale Foundation

Ocean Conservancy

Bye Bye Plastic Bags

About the Author

Addison has been studying sharks since she was 4 years old. Her love for sharks has grown into a deep love for the ocean. She spends much of her time learning about all ocean creatures, especially sharks and sea turtles. Her favorite color is blue because it reminds her of the ocean. When her face is not stuck in a book about sharks, you can find her catching lizards, searching for snakes, and saving wildlife around her yard.

More articles you may like:

Journey Under the Ocean: National Geographic Encounter

5 Fintastic Treats for Shark Week

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11 Comments

  1. So well written Addie! So in addition to being a marine biologist when you’re grown you’ll have this wonderful talent to write about all your amazing adventures!!! I especially love that you added websites that support our ocean at the end! Can’t wait to read your next guest post, Happy Shark Week!!!

  2. MARVELOUS WRITING ADDIE. YOU ARE SO SMART. LOVE YOU , NANA

    1. Thank you Nana. I miss you so much hope to see you so! Love you miss you
      -Addie😘😘❤❤❤💚💜💙💛💘💖💕

  3. Addison, fantastic job writing your first blog post! I can tell from your writing how passionate you are about sharks! I am going to share your post with Austin and Haley! They both enjoy learning about sharks – I think they will love to hear about the Frilled Shark! Dinosaurs and sharks – how cool! Keep up the great writing! We are so proud of you!

    1. Thank you! I am very passionate about sharks. I hope Haley and Austin like the blog post! I am sure they’ll love the Frilled shark because the walking shark and Frilled shark people really like! Also I am working 2 right now and after I weight it I am going to ask mom to post that one too! Love you miss you!

  4. Hi Addie!
    I didn’t know about the one that walked on land. I learned a lot from this. That was an awesome blog post.
    -Dylan

    1. Hi Dylan! Thank you, I am glad you liked the blog post. I am doing one on sea creatures and might post that one but I don’t know when and maybe I will make a another one on sharks!
      -Addie

  5. Great job Addison!!!
    You know…I have studied a variety of animals over the years, including sharks. And for years, I was an avid scuba diver, having been lucky enough to dive with a wild whale shark off the coast of Sarasota, FL! But I truly never heard of those 4 sharks that you wrote about, so thank you for that! It was very interesting and very cool! 🙂

    1. Thank you! That is so cool! I want to learn how to scuba dive, when your parents have a scuba certification you can get it at the age of ten! That is SO cool you got to scuba dive with a whale shark!! I like to do the uncommon things. The two sharks people really like and think are really cool are the Frilled shark and the walking shark!q

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