Sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the planet. According to the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory, sharks have lived in the waters for over 400 million years. That is well before the rise and fall of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Although movies may paint them in a frightening light, sharks offer benefits to the planet by controlling marine life populations. Humans also benefit from products from sharks, such as shark liver extract, which can be used as machine oil.| Sciencing
Food chains and food webs are the basis for all life on Earth. Every ecosystem has its own unique organisms and way in which those organisms interact with each other. The way that all food chains work follows the same basic pattern: Producers (usually plants) convert sunlight into food. Primary consumers are the herbivores. Secondary consumers eat the herbivores, while tertiary consumers eat both primary and secondary, and so on. The players differ from habitat to habitat, with different crea...| Sciencing
There are many types of animals that are considered independent species, either because of the way they hunt, interact socially, or claim a territory. Various cultures celebrate different kinds of animals as symbols of independence, although in many instances the species only displays autonomous behavior during specific times of the year.| Sciencing
Seals are pinnipeds, semi-aquatic mammals with winged feet. There are 33 species of seals, which can be found in the Arctic and Antarctic regions as well as along the North Atlantic and Pacific coast lines. Seals are the primary source of food for land and aquatic animals such as sharks, whales, polar bears, Arctic wolves and humans. Although seals do not possess any significant defenses against these predators, they have adapted behaviors such as aquatic agility and safety in numbers to prot...| Sciencing
The U.S. is home to a fair few scary species, and Florida is home to quite a number of them. Here are five of the most dangerous animals that reside there.| Sciencing
Sciencing offers informative articles, instructional guides, and cutting-edge answers to pressing questions about science, engineering, and mathematics.| Sciencing
Explore the hard sciences through stories derived from every discipline including discussion of theory, experimentation, and empirical fact.| Sciencing
