9781422276730

Many plankton, such as these copepoda zooplankton, can only be seen with a microscope.

BIG AND DANGEROUS—NOT! We know very little about the deepest parts of the ocean, which makes many humans think that anything living that far down has to be both big and dangerous, but this is not the case. The biggest shark, the

whale shark, lives in the deep water, yet this shark eats mainly plankton . It does sometimes eat fish, but it is mainly a filter-feeding shark. On the other hand, the smallest shark, the dwarf lanternfish also lives in deep water. This shark grows to only 7½ in. (19 cm). The dwarf lanternfish prefers the deepwater because it is easier for it to hide from prey. While there are many deepwater sharks that can be seen as dangerous, humans rarely come into contact with them because we do not spend much time in these deep waters. Sharks, in general, will not attack unless they feel threatened. Even when they do bite a human, most sharks will quickly realize their mistake and let go. SIDEBAR

13