Team Marco Polo

Whales vs Sharks

Thursday, September 4, 2025 by teammarcopolo

Okay, so we know you can tell which is which, but can you name 5 major differences between sharks and whales?

Basics: Sharks are fish, whales are mammals; sharks lay eggs and have gills, whales give birth and breathe air from above the surface. Whales move their horizontal tail-fins up and down, while sharks move their vertical tail-fins side to side. Bla bla bla! More here 🙂

Here’s one you might not know: Whales communicate through sound, which travels four times faster in water, and they orient themselves through a sort of internal sonar. Though we are not certain how sharks communicate, we do know that they have a remarkable sense that no human has ever experienced, called electroreception. Sharks have a number of tiny receptors freckled across the head and nose which can detect even the tiniest electromagnetic pulse in the water surrounding them. So, in other words, the shark knows your every move.