Shark quiz trivia questions and answers

Shark Quiz - Test your knowledge

Sharks get such a bad rap. Films often depict them as dangerous predators ready to pounce as soon as we dip our toes in the sea. The truth is though, they’ve been around for A Very Long Time and the vast majority live quiet lives, minding their business and here are AQUILA we think they are pretty jaw-some! 

Let’s learn to separate the fishy facts from the fishy business by taking our stupendous shark quiz! If you’re not an expert now, you will be by the end!

Choose an answer for each question from the multiple choices given. There are different marks for each correct answer, depending on the difficulty of the question.

Check your score on the answer sheet at the end to see how well you have done. BUT remember, no peeking until you have FIN-ished.

1. How many different species of shark are there? (1 point)

(a) About 50

(b) About 500

(c) About 5,000

 

2. How many of these species are vulnerable or endangered?
(2 point)

a) 150

b) 250

c) 300

 

3. Sharks can vary greatly in size. How long can whale sharks grow? (1 point)

a)   5 metres

b) 12 metres

c) 15 metres

 

4. What type of seas do sharks normally live in? (1 point)

a) Cold seas

b) Most ocean habitats

c) Warm seas

 

5. What type of blood system do most sharks have? (2 points)

a) They are cold blooded

b) They are warm blooded

c) They can vary the temperature of their blood

A free diver expresses the massive size of the shark with her outstretched hands as she swims above it
A free diver expresses the massive size of the shark with her outstretched hands as she swims above it - Feefiona123, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

6. What type of shark is most commonly seen in British waters? (1 point)

a) Basking sharks

b) Great white sharks

c) Hammerhead sharks

 

7. What do the special sensors on a shark’s snout help it to do? (2 points)

a) Check the temperature of the water

b) Hear approaching boats

c) Pick up movement in the water around it

 

8. How long have sharks been living in our seas? (3 marks)

a) Around 400 million years

b) Around 40 thousand years

c) Around 400 years

 

9. What is the main structure of a shark’s body made from? (2 marks)

a) Bone

b) Fat

c) Cartilage

 

10. What does a shark’s body feel like to touch? (3 marks)

a) Corrugated cardboard

b) Sandpaper

c) Velvet

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) off the Atlantic coast. - Green Fire Productions, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

11. What are oviparous sharks? (3 marks)

a) Sharks that are super-fast swimmers

b) Sharks that eat only fish

c) Sharks that lay eggs

 

12. What are viviparous sharks? (3 marks)

a) Sharks that give birth to live young

b) Sharks that live in deep water

c) Sharks that only eat seals

 

13. What is the heaviest basking shark ever recorded? (2 marks)

a) 160 kg

b) 1,600 kg

c) 16,000 kg
 

14. What fraction of a shark’s brain deals with the sense of smell? (3 marks)

a) ½

b) ⅔

c) ¼
 

15. Sharks’ teeth are constantly being replaced. How many can some sharks get through in a lifetime? (3 marks)

a) 300

b) 3,000

c) 30,000

Bone Clones image of Great White Shark jaw - Bone Clones, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

16. How old is the oldest shark? (2 marks)

a) At least 50 years old

b) At least 100 years old

c) At least 250 years old

 

17. What do hammerhead sharks use their ‘hammer’ for? (3 marks)

a) Holding down rays they have caught

b) Burrowing in sand

c) Attacking other sharks

 

18. Which three things would sharks prefer to have on their menu?

(2 marks)

a) Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream

b) Mackerel, tuna and dolphin

c) Seaweed, sea cucumbers and kelp

 

19. Which part of the shark do some cultures think of as a food delicacy? (1 mark)

a) Snout

b) Fins

c) Gills

 

20. Why do we never find shark fossils, only teeth? (2 marks)

a) They get buried too deep in sand

b) They are broken up by waves

c) Sharks don’t have any bones to fossilise

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna Lewini
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Sphyrna Lewini - Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

SOLUTIONS AND SCORING

Solutions:

1. b)

2. a)

3. c)

4. b)

5. b)

6. a)

7. c)

8. a)

9. c)

10. b)

11. c)

12. a)

13. c)

14. b)

15. c)

16. c)

17. a)

18. b)

19. b)

20. c)

So, how did you get on:

Scoring check:

36-42 points: Excellent. Maybe you should consider a career in marine science?


30-36 points: Well done. Your knowledge level is great!


25-30 points: You are well on the way, expand your knowledge if you can!


Less than 25 points: Good start. There’s plenty of information on-line and in books, so keep on researching! 

Did you enjoy getting your teeth into this sensational shark quiz? Of course you did! Want more perplexing puzzles and fun facts about the world around us? Then head to the AQUILA website and subscribe TODAY.

Words: John Davis