How fast does sharks swim

How fast can a shark swim? This question may pop into your mind as you calmly watch a shark video or more urgently as you are swimming or scuba diving and think you may have spotted a fin circling you.

If you are fishing, you may wonder whether the shark will be able to outpace your boat. Sharks are built for bursts of speed as they attack their prey, much like lions and tigers on land. They need to be able to swim fast enough to pursue their prey for short distances, then make the lunge for the kill.

The speed of a shark also depends on the species. Smaller, streamlined species are capable of higher speeds than larger, bulkier sharks. The general rule of thumb is that sharks can cruise at about 5 mph 8 kph —roughly the same speed as the fastest Olympic swimmer.

If you're just a good swimmer, they have you beat. But often they are swimming around at a slower speed of about 1. These fish are predators. Sharks can swim much faster over short bursts when they are attacking prey.

At these times, they can reach about 12 mph 20 kph , the speed of a running human on land. A person in the water facing a shark in serious attack mode has little chance of swimming fast enough to escape. A common characteristic seen in the fastest sharks in the oceans is endothermic heat regulation, with the fastest sharks being warm-blooded.

Having the ability to self-regulate their body temperature allows the sharks to fill their muscles with warm blood rich in oxygen and cruise at tremendous speeds even in oceans with freezing waters. Great White Sharks can reach swimming speeds as fast as 25 miles per hour. Olympic Games History. Southeast Asian Countries. Commonwealth Of Independent States. Follow We Love Sharks.

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Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. They need to be able to swim fast enough to pursue their prey for short distances, then make the lunge for the kill. The speed of a shark also depends on the species.

Smaller, streamlined species are capable of higher speeds than larger, bulkier sharks like the great white shark. The general rule of thumb is that great white sharks can cruise at about 5 mph 8 kph , the speed of the fastest Olympic swimmer. But often they are swimming around at a slower speed of about 1.