July 28, 2022

Test Your Shark IQ

Happy Shark Week! Put your shark IQ to the test in this jaw-some quiz

It’s the most wonderful week of the year… Shark Week at Discovery Place Science! To celebrate this summer, we invite you to dive into some under-the-sea fun with sharks by visiting our featured Unseen Oceans exhibit and learning all about what lies beneath.
Test your Shark IQ with our short quiz and share with your family and friends to show your shark smarts. Did you know that shark researchers can stimulate the ampullae of lorenzini with a metal glove to put sharks into a state of tonic immobility? Or that sharks have been in the fossil record longer than dinosaurs?
Check out question 1 to find out just how long sharks have been swimming the seas! No matter how many questions you answer correctly, you will learn more about apex predators in the oceans.

1. According to fossil records, approximately how long have sharks lived on Earth?
A. 150 million years
B. 350 million years
C. 450 million years

2. Approximately how many shark species have scientists identified?
A. 200
B. 500
C. 700

3. Which type of marine animals are sharks most closely related?
A. Rays
B. Dolphins
C. Whales

4. Which shark species is the largest fish in the world?
A. Great white shark
B. Tiger shark
C. Whale shark

5. Which shark species can survive and reproduce in freshwater?
A. Hammerhead shark
B. Bull shark
C. Galapagos shark

6. After a high-fat meal of sea lion or seal, about how long can a great white shark survive before its next meal?
A. One day
B. Two weeks
C. Six weeks

7. What is the fastest shark species, capable of swimming at speeds up to 71 kilometers per hour?
A. Short fin mako shark
B. Blue shark
C. Thresher shark

8. What is the smallest shark species in the world?
A. Cookiecutter shark
B. Dwarf lantern shark
C. Goblin shark

9. Roughly how many teeth will an average shark have during its lifespan?
A. 1,000
B. 2,000
C. 20,000+

10. Which shark species is oviparous, meaning they lay eggs that hatch outside the mother’s body?
A. Nurse shark
B. Lemon shark
C. Bamboo shark

11. How do sharks keep from sinking?
A. They have a swim bladder
B. Their livers contain large amounts of oil
C. They are less dense than sea water

12. Shark skeletons are primarily composed of which substance?
A. Keratin
B. Cartilage
C. Sharks do not have skeletons

13. Sharks can sense electromagnetic activity through a sensitive network of pores on their snout called what?
A. Ampullae of Lorenzini
B. Tapetum tissue
C. Dermal denticles

14. Which shark species is most likely to be found in groups?
A. Greenland shark
B. Black tip reef shark
C. Hammerhead shark

15. In Unseen Oceans at Discovery Place Science, you can encounter which benthic shark species that lives almost entirely on the ocean floor?
A. Zebra bullhead shark
B. Wobbegongs
C. Catshark

Ready to check your answers?

ANSWER KEY
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. C
10. C
11. B
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. A