Blacktip reef sharks, Maldives

© Filippo Bacci/Getty Image

A shiver of sharks on the hunt. Shark Awareness Day

Today, on Shark Awareness Day, let's dive into the ocean's depths to meet our finned friends. It's believed that sharks have been cruising the oceans for at least 420 million years. Today’s homepage shows blacktip reef sharks, hunting in a group in the waters around the Maldives, one of more than 500 species of shark, each uniquely adapted to its habitat. From the graceful hammerhead with its panoramic vision to the fastest species, the sleek mako, shark species are diverse, but a third face extinction. Among threats are unregulated fishing and abandoned nets as well as demand for shark fins. They have a fearsome reputation but are the victims of myths and misconceptions that paint them as mindless killing machines. Today, let's celebrate these magnificent creatures, a key part of healthy marine ecosystems, by advocating for their conservation.