Shark swimming backward?

Question

I have heard several experts say that sharks can't swim backward but i had quite a few black finned sharks that would not only seem to prefer swimming backward but also side ways! Has any one else seen something like that?

Answer 1

I assume when you say you had black finned sharks you are talking about fish in a freshwater aquarium. Therein lies your answer. Black finned sharks like in an aquarium are not sharks at all but are a species of catfish.

MM

Answer 2

Sharks cannot swim backwards because 1) they have to have water constantly moving over their gills to be able to absorb the oxygen 2) they do not have a swim bladder, so if they stop swimming forward they will literally sink and 3) As previously mentioned, their pectoral fins can only move up and down, not side to side, so they have no way of making themselves go backwards

However, black finned sharks are not actual sharks, they are from the family as the catfish, so they do have swimbladders and have the ability to move backwards.

Answer 3

Unlike fish, sharks cannot stop suddenly or swim backwards. A shark's pectoral fins cannot bend upwards like a fish, limiting its swimming ability to forward motion. If a shark needs to move backwards, it uses gravity to fall, not swim backwards. Sharks must swerve to the side in order not to hit something - they cannot simply stop.

Answer 4

i know that some fish can swim backwards b/c the fish in my aquarium do for all time! Sharks, notwithstanding, ought to continuously swim ahead as a way to push water via their gils to be able to respire. If a shark were to end swimming, or swim backwards, it may now no longer be able to respire. So, no, sharks do not swim backward.

Answer 5

I've heard that they have to have a constant flow of water on their gills or they will suffocate. Dolphins can't swim backwards either

Answer 6

I saw it in Deep Blue Sea, but it was holding its breath because it was a smart shark

It wasn't smart enough to reason with the humans though:

"Hey, open the door and gimme a fish and we'll call it even."