Do Sharks Have Tongues?

You may be wondering: Do sharks have tongues? Sharks are known to have great hearing, particularly at low frequencies. They can trace sounds using their ears, which are located behind their eyes on either side of their skulls. They consist of two tiny holes made of cartilage tubes lined with hair cells and filled with fluid. Sound waves force these hairs to vibrate. Sharks also have vertebrae and a notochord.

Sharks sense chemicals dissolved in blood

Like us, sharks have a pair of olfactory bulbs located under their leading edge of the snout. The olfactory bulb is a complex structure of nerve cells that sense chemicals dissolved in the blood. They have the ability to smell molecules in concentrations up to a hundred parts per billion, but they do not have taste buds. They can sense fish extracts at concentrations as low as a part in a trillion.

In addition to their strong sense of smell, sharks can detect small amounts of blood dissolved in water. Their olfactory bulb is enlarged, so they can detect even small amounts of blood. This helps them find prey by sniffing out tiny amounts of blood in the water. As a result, sharks can detect a drop of blood at a distance of thousands of miles.

Sharks sense low-frequency sounds

Sharks have an excellent hearing range. They can detect sounds ranging from 20 to 300 Hz, but they respond best to low-frequency sounds — like the irregular pulsations of a struggling fish. Sharks are especially sensitive to sounds below 40 Hz, which is the frequency range in which a fish makes those pulsations. The frequency range in which sharks respond best depends on the magnitude of the sound, as well as the distance from which it comes. Sharks can even hear sounds a mile away!

To recognize sound, a shark's auditory system must respond to a signal containing both a wave and a particle motion component. Because sharks lack swim bladders, their auditory system is limited to sound based on particle motion. The brains of sharks do not have sensory maculae; however, a region called the sacculus has been found to respond to sound. Researchers have found that sharks are sensitive to sounds up to 1.5 kHz with a peak between 200 and 600 Hz.

Sharks can stick out their tongues

If you've ever wondered how sharks can stick out their tongues, you've come to the right place. Sharks have tongues that are composed of cartilage and only have a few functions. Because of the cartilage, their tongues move very little and they don't have a membrane under their tongues. Sharks use their tongues to detect food and to draw it towards their mouth. Some species of sharks, including whale and nurse sharks, even use their tongues to find food.

Although sharks don't need their tongues for tasting food, they do use them to detect food, especially when they're hunting. They use their tongues to detect fish that are close enough to be visible and sound like food. Other sharks don't use their tongues for this purpose. They simply stick them out when they're hungry or looking for prey. However, they're often found tucked away until they need it.