He jumped without seeing the shark.. (BIG MISTAKE)

Sharks are some of the most fascinating as well as most misunderstood creatures on Earth. However, snap judgments have lead to some misunderstandings about this sea creature. Learn 6 interesting facts about sharks you probably never knew.

1. Shark Origins

These water dwelling sea creatures are closely related to fishes and the oldest sharks date back to 400 million years ago well before the age of the dinosaurs. This also makes sharks one of the oldest surviving invertebrate creatures in the world.

2. Rarity of Shark Attacks

Though shark attacks have become sensational news stories, the reality is shark attacks are rare. However, fear of being attacked by a shark is common among beach goers. The biggest influencing factor for the fear of shark attacks dates back to one of the most memorable movies in cinema history. Directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1975, Jaws created a huge fear of sharks and bumped up the mystique of sharks randomly attacking humans. In actuality, shark attacks on humans' amount to less than one hundred a year and fewer than 5 are fatal.

3. Reasons behind Shark Attacks

Interestingly enough, shark attacks increase during certain phases of the moon. For sea creatures, the moon determines migratory patterns. Naturally when ocean tides cause sharks to come into closer contact with humans their is a greater opportunity for sharks to attack. For those worried about shark attacks, death is more likely to occur from bees, drowning, lighting, wasps and snakes than from a shark attack.

There are very few species of sharks involved in a significant portion of attacks on humans. The most well known would be the great white shark. The great white shark can grow up to 20 feet in length and is the shark made famous by Jaws. Many of these attacks are believed to be accidental, with the shark simply taking a bite to identify what is in the water, since sharks don't have hands they use their mouths. However, seals are their preferred food source and most of the time after taking a first bite the shark will let go of its human prey.

4. How Sharks Survive in the Water

Unlike most fish, sharks have to keep moving in the water because they do not have a swim bladder. Without constant movement, sharks are unable to pump water through their gills and can sink to the bottom of the ocean and loose respiration. Sharks are also considered some of the most skillful hunters in the ocean. Many species of sharks can smell a single drop of blood in the water and can actually hear fish from miles away. Most sharks also do not sleep.

5. Shark Variety

When most people think of sharks they probably think of large hulking sharks with giant teeth. However, shark sizes vary greatly; over half of all sharks are less than 3 feet long. Shark species are continuing to be discovered and currently over 350 species of sharks have been identified. Sharks live mainly in saltwater through a few species can live in freshwater. Different varieties of sharks live in temperate, tropical, deep and coastal waters.

6. Large and Small Creatures

The largest species of shark is the whale shark, which can grow up to 60 feet in length and can weigh over 13 tons. The smallest shark in the world is the dwarf lantern shark will only grows to about 8 inches long and lives in deepwater. The dwarf lantern is only once inch smaller than the second smallest shark, the pygmy shark.

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