The fins are only used for balance. says Woody Allen's character Alvy Singer near the end of the film. There are also sharks that have this mechanism like the angel sharks and nurse sharks which do not need to swim to breath; this mechanism is called "buccal pumping". Having said this, fish do not really get tired of swimming because they might swim slow or rest for a moment, but certainly do not completely stop. In all, if a shark swims backward, it will sink to the bottom of the ocean and die. Bull sharks have bitten and killed people wading or standing in water. Sharks are also unable to stop swimming suddenly. They're effectively putting chum in the water and bringing around sharks." Moving forward: Sharks are the only fish that can’t swim backwards — and if you pull a shark backward by its tail, it will die. Unlike the fins of telelosts (bony fish), sharks' pectoral fins do not bend upwards, and so they are unable to back up. 15 of 17. Shark species that need to swim constantly to keep water moving over their gills seem to have active periods and restful periods, rather than undergoing deep sleep as we do. Therefore, when they die, ... "Sharks will sink if they stop swimming." 7. Sharks cannot swim backwards. But they can't swim backwards. This implies that swimming backward is dangerous to sharks. However, some fish, like sharks, don’t have a swim bladder, which is why they are supposed to be continually swimming; otherwise, they’d die. This is simply a reverse in the respiratory process. ... gradually swim backwards away from the shark towards shore. Some sharks (like the great white shark) swim by propelling itself through the water using its tail. Swimming backward will make water flow through the gills of the shark instead of out of the gills. "It has to constantly move forward or it dies. They seem to be “sleep swimming,” with parts of their brain being less active, or "resting," while the shark remains swimming. Sharks must swerve to the side in order not to hit something - they cannot simply stop. 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 What Happens If Sharks Swim Backwards? The Debunker: Will Sharks Die If They Stop Swimming? I assume it was Annie Hall that brought this belief to the American public. FALSE: Sharks swim backwards. The answer is no, although there are a few species, including the epaulette shark, found in tropical Australian waters from northern NSW to Shark Bay, WA, that can “walk” backwards. VW Pics Getty Images. 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