More than 1,000 species of sharks and rays inhabit the earth’s oceans
Basking sharks filter up to 1,500 gallons of water per hour
The smallest is a lantern shark, averaging just 8 inches
The largest fish in the world is the whale shark and can reach lengths of over 40 to 60 feet
The fastest shark is the Mako, which has reached speeds of more than 45 miles per hour
Blue sharks have been tracked swimming more than 10,000 miles
Sharks may hear a fish a mile away
Sharks can smell blood in the water from 1/3 of a mile away
The Spiny dogfish has a gestation period close to 2 years, which makes it one of the longest of any animals
Spiny dogfish females are thought to reach breeding age at 35 years
Dusky shark females reach breeding age at 20 years
The smalltooth sawfish population has declined by 99%
The IUCN estimates that 20% of sharks are in danger of extinction
Worldwide shark takes have tripled since 1985
Tens of millions of sharks are accidentally caught as bycatch in commercial fisheries each year
According to Oceana, “estimates of the total number of sharks killed each year for their fins range from 26 to 73 million per year.”
Data: Ocean Conservancy and Oceana
With frequent new discoveries, the number of valid scientific descriptions of species of fishes is always on the upswing. Projections from 2006, self-described as conservative, put the eventual number of living species to be close to 32,500. 
