Question

Which of the following senses is most important to a shark when hunting its prey?

• A. Smell
• B. Sight
• C. Hearing
• D. Touch

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Hearing

Sharks owe much of their effectiveness as predators to their good sensory system. Their senses are not integrated but depend on each other to provide reliable acuity. Sharks can smell thousands of times better than any human being and can detect at long distances chemicals in the water. Their sense of hearing is also sharp although they do not have ears, but small openings in the sides of the head and inner ears similar to those of some mammals. Under the sea, sharks have the ability to hear sounds in a range wider than the human ear and detect the sound source from many kilometers away. This capability is especially useful when hunting because if they listen to the low-frequency sounds produced by injured animals, they do not hesitate to follow the source until they reach the prey and feed on it.

So the correct option is 'hearing'.