Sharks Are Older Than Trees, So Why Are We Wiping Them Out?

Apr 29

Let’s just start with the mic drop, because you know I love the drama:
Sharks are older than trees.
Let that sink in for a second…sink down down down like an anchor to one of those big cruise ships.

Those guys have been patrolling Earth’s oceans for over 400 million years; surviving mass extinctions, continental drift, and whatever other nonsense the planet was up to before we had any breathable air. They’ve seen it all. And now, in just a few short decades of human meddling, they’re disappearing at a terrifying rate.

This post isn’t here to scare you.

Well, okay…maybe just a little. But mostly it’s here to explain what’s going on with sharks, why they’re so important, what would happen if they disappeared, and how you (yes, you) can help. Even if you’ve never swum in anything deeper than a kiddie pool.

The Original Apex Legends

Sharks have been gliding through ancient seas since the Silurian period, back when fish didn’t even have jaws yet and land was mostly just moss and bugs. The earliest shark-like creatures (think armored, eel-shaped nightmares) evolved into the sleeker, finned and frightening beauties we know today.

Here’s the evolutionary highlight reel: 400 million years ago: First shark-like fish appear.
360 million years ago: True sharks evolve.
200 million years ago: Sharks survive the Permian extinction (when 90% of marine life died).
65 million years ago: Dinosaurs go extinct, sharks don’t even flinch.
Today: Humans invent trawling nets, shark fin soup, and the movie “Jaws”.

Sharks are living fossils, but unlike actual fossils, they’re still doing their job (without pay), regulating ecosystems, keeping food webs balanced, and making the ocean work.

Basically, sharks are nature’s quality control department, and we’re laying them off in bulk.

The Sharkpocalypse

Here’s the uncomfortable truth that makes my stomach churn a little: we’ve killed over 70% of oceanic sharks and rays since the 1970s.

Some species have declined by more than 90% in just the last 50 years alone.
Let’s put that into human perspective for a little moment. That’s like if almost everyone born before 1970 just…vanished. Gone.

The biggest culprit is obviously overfishing and bycatch (sharks caught in nets meant for other fish). Shark finning (cutting off fins and dumping the rest overboard) makes up a horrifying amount of these disappearances as well.

Habitat destruction and climate change are taking up the rear, but obviously still important factors to note.

And don’t forget the PR problem that sharks are dealing with: Jaws, Shark Week, and every news story that treats a rare shark encounter like a serial killer is loose at the beach.

We don’t protect what we fear, because, why would we? And that’s a problem…because sharks are honestly the least of our problems in the water.

Thankfully, some startups and companies are working on this PR nightmare and our innate fear of them by creating wetsuits that are shark-proof (as much as they can be, anyway). Scientists test bite-resistant wetsuits that could reduce shark attack damage.

Sharks Matter More Than You Think

Okay, so the ocean covers about 71% of the Earth and produces over half of the oxygen we breathe.
It also regulates climate, absorbs carbon dioxide, and feeds billions of people.

And guess who helps keep that whole system stable?
You guessed it…sharks do!

They control populations of mid-level predators (which helps keeps the ecosystem balanced), they prevent overgrazing of seagrass and coral reefs, and they remove sick, weak, or dying animals, acting like natural cleanup crews.

Let’s play out the nightmare scenario a whole lot of people are trying to prevent.
Sharks go extinct…what happens next?

Smaller predator populations explode as I mentioned earlier, which means fish like rays and groupers take over. Overgrazing destroys seagrass beds and coral reefs. Entire species collapse from overpredation, which is the marine version of locusts. Oxygen production would actually drop, and carbon absorption would slow down to a dangerous rate. Fisheries would fail, and coastal communities that depend on fish to live would starve. Eventually, the ocean could becomes uninhabitable for large chunks of marine life.

In short: no sharks, no ocean stability.
And no, we can’t just “replace” them. There’s no backup apex predator with the same ecological skillset. Sharks are the system.

Without sharks, prey populations explode, which collapses other species, which ruins coral reefs, which disrupts carbon storage… and then you’re spiraling into a full on ecosystem collapse.

They’re not just “big scary fish,” they’re a keystone species that we desperately need. Take them out, and the ocean gets messy, really fast.

They’re also super cool. Sharks have electroreception, aka they can sense the bioelectric fields of other animals even the ones hiding under the sand. They’re also a dentist’s worst nightmare because they replace their teeth thousands of times over their lifetime (no cavities to worry about).

Some studies claim they are sensitive enough to detect a drop of blood in an Olympic-sized pool. There are even some sharks that glow in the dark (hi, lantern shark)! Also, some have been known to live over 500 years (Greenland shark, anyone?).

They’re so advanced that scientists are still trying to figure out how their immune systems work. Sharks rarely get cancer, which has inspired a whole ton of research into cancer prevention and aging.

We’re out here building billion-dollar labs to study problems sharks already solved 200 million years ago. I guess sharks don’t embezzle money though, or kill others for profit, just food.

Why Isn’t More Being Done?

Good question, and the biggest answer of all is that we just don’t care enough.

Some countries have made huge strides (like Palau, the Bahamas, and the Maldives), which have banned shark fishing entirely. Others, like the U.S. and EU, have banned shark finning but still allow massive “legal” shark catch.

Here’s the cinch of it, sharks reproduce slowly, too slowly for us. Many species of sharks only have a few pups every couple of years, so replacing them quickly isn’t a real option.

Not to mention, international waters are hard to regulate, the ocean is huge in case you weren’t paying attention, and enforcement is a nightmare.

And the silent little kicker for sharks is that demand is still high for them. Especially for fins, meat, and even shark liver oil (yep, it’s in some cosmetics).

And while documentaries have helped boost awareness, public policy hasn’t caught up. We save pandas and elephants because they’re cute. Sharks are a harder sell, as they look less cuddly.

So, What Can You Do?

You don’t have to swim with sharks or protest on a beach to help.
(Although if that’s your thing, you do you.)

Here’s what actually works:

1. Check Your Products

Avoid cosmetics or supplements that list squalene or shark liver oil (it might be sourced from deep-sea sharks).

Affiliate link: I switched to this reef-safe, vegan squalane serum, it works just as well and doesn’t come from a 200-year-old liver.

2. Eat Sustainable Seafood

Sharks often get caught as bycatch in tuna and swordfish fisheries, which is a sad truth we don’t like to talk about.
Use apps like Seafood Watch to pick ocean-friendly choices.

3. Sign the Petitions

Groups like Shark Allies and WildAid are constantly fighting for global shark protections. A 30-second signature does help more than you’d think.

4. Donate to the Right Groups

Even $5 to legit nonprofits goes toward satellite tracking, education, and enforcement programs that protect critical shark habitats.

5. Talk About It

Seriously, post about it, write about it, tell your friends at the bar while dressed up in Halloween costumes.
Sharks don’t need a better PR agent, they need a million amateur ones.

The Sharks Worth Knowing (and Loving)

If you’re not already fully on Team Shark, let me introduce you to a few species you’ll probably fall in love with:

Whale Shark: Gentle giant the size of a school bus. Filter feeder who hangs out in warm waters looking majestic.

Hammerhead Shark: Literal radar head. Better eyesight, better electro-sensing, plus those weird-cool vibes.

Greenland Shark: Moves at 1 mph, which is about as fast as me on a Monday morning. Can live over 500 years, has wisdom of all the sharks before it, and probably writes poetry. Okay, I might’ve taken that one a bit too far.

Thresher Shark: Uses its giant tail to stun prey. A whip-slapper of the deep. Wee-cha! (You don’t even want to know how long I just took trying to figure out how to spell a whip sound).

Goblin Shark: Okay, hear me out…it’s ugly, yes. But it’s like the underdog of evolution and I kind of love it. So ugly it’s cute?

Shark Facts You’ll Want to Drop at Parties

Sharks existed before Mount Everest did.

The word “shark” likely comes from the Mayan word xoc, pronounced “shock.”

Baby sharks are called pups.

Some sharks can detect vibrations from miles away.

A group of sharks is called a shiver…which feels deeply right.

Yup, enjoy being the life of the next party you go to with these killer facts. You can thank me by bookmarking my website or buying a Pairing Paws book.

Sharks Aren’t Monsters

If there’s one thing I want you to walk away with, it’s this:
Sharks aren’t the villains in this story, we are. Plot twist for ya, they’re not lurking in the shallows plotting a bite. They’re just doing what they’ve always done, keeping the oceans clean, balanced, and eerily beautiful.

We’re the ones with nets, motors, and a tendency to destroy what we don’t understand.

But the good news there’s also a whole lot of people out there trying their best to educate, preserve, and protect creatures who’ve survived literal eons, only to be threatened now by ignorance and greed.

If You’re Into Sharks, You’ll Love…

…this weirdly related post about how plants might be gossiping underground.
Nature’s full of secrets…and I’m trying to uncover all of them.