There are about a billion sharks in the ocean celebrating this holiday. today is Shark Awareness Day. The real goal of this July 14 holiday is to provide education and awareness of the importance of sharks to the ecosystems of our world’s oceans.

Sharks date back 455 million years ago, much farther back than dinosaurs, which roamed the earth a mere 230 million years ago. Along the way, sharks have gotten a bad reputation from movies, and from the media (what would the media be without media sensationalism!?), which constantly provides graphic reports of shark attacks.

While we are made to be deathly afraid of sharks, the truth of the matter is that sharks are generally more afraid of us. And rightly so, as humans kill 100 million sharks (of all sizes) a year. Worldwide, sharks only cause an average of 7 deaths and 70 reported attacks a year. Many sharks are endangered species. For example, sharks are sought for shark fin soup and shark tooth jewelry. We don’t mean to underplay the importance to be alert to the dangers of sharks. Rather, we want to make you aware of the importance of sharks to the health of our oceans.

Museums around the world celebrate Shark Awareness Day by holding educational awareness programs, teaching us the importance of sharks in maintaining a healthy balance in the ocean ecosystem. At the top of the ocean food chain, sharks help to eliminate weak and sick members of ocean fish species and keep the whole system in balance.  

Today’s Theme Song: Baby Shark

Today’s Movie: Jaws (1975) and Jaws 2 (1978)