Shark Week is almost upon us! Once a year, we take time to celebrate these mysterious, charismatic critters that are a critical part of our marine ecosystem. This year, we have everything you need to make this Shark Week the best one yet. Explore the links below, and be sure to check back on the blog all week for more shark content. Plus, keep and eye out for some stand-out shark photos on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

1. Brush up on your shark trivia. 

Now is the perfect time to impress your friends with some shark fun facts. Need a little refresher? We’ve got you covered with all the shark fact sheets you could need. Here’s a sampler:

• Bull sharks can grow to almost 12 feet long and can weigh up to 500 pounds.
• Dusky sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until 20 years old, and females only give birth once every three years.
• A nurse shark‘s tail can be up to 1/4 of its body length.
• Hammerhead sharks have a special muscle that lets them move their distinctive head up and down.
• Great white sharks can grow to over 20 feet long and weigh over 2.5 tons. That makes them the largest predatory fish in the world!
• Tiger sharks will eat almost anything, and have been found with license plates, tires and even other sharks in their stomachs.
• A whale shark‘s mouth is three feet wide and holds over 350 rows of teeth.
• Scientists recently discovered a 400-year-old female Greenland shark, who set a new record for the oldest living vertebrate!

2. Take action to protect sharks. 

Help us create safe places for sharks this shark week: Recently, President Trump issued an executive order to review marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments, jeopardizing vital marine ecosystems like Monterey Bay and the Mariana Trench. We need your help to stand up for these vulnerable places and the hundreds of species they protect. Take action during Shark Week for sharks!

3. Settle in with some shark reads. 

Check out some stand-out shark content from our blog, including posts from previous Shark Weeks.

• So You Like Shark Week? Time to Spread the Love
• How to Tell the Difference Between a Dolphin and a Shark
• Become a Citizen Scientist with SharkBase
• Best to Be Aware, Rather than Beware, of Sharks
• Ocean Acidification Wrecks Sharks’ Smellovision
• Watch Our Google Hangout All About Sharks
• Toilets Are Scary, Sharks Are Not

That’s plenty to get you started—but check back for more shark-y content this week. Happy Shark Week everyone!