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Available for over a year

This ��ѿ��ý Sounds bonus episode dives into the misunderstood world of sharks - creatures more often feared than admired. While humans kill around a hundred million sharks each year, unprovoked shark attacks on humans number fewer than ten annually. They aren’t especially drawn to human blood, and what they truly deserve is our awe - from a respectful distance. With over five hundred species, sharks range from the twelve-metre whale shark to the dwarf lanternshark, small enough to fit in a pint glass. Some swim without pause for their entire lives, living machines of motion. Others surprise us with unexpected traits: the kitefin shark glows in the dark, the porbeagle plays, and the epaulette shark has evolved to “walk” between tidal pools using its fins like legs. But sharks are in trouble. A quarter of species are threatened, and some - like the “lost shark” - may already be extinct. Without these apex predators, marine ecosystems risk collapse. Ancient myths imagined mother sharks sheltering their young in their mouths; today, it’s up to us to protect them. Presented and written by Katherine Rundell Produced in Bristol for ��ѿ��ý Audio by Natalie Donovan