A formidable inhabitant of the seas and oceans, the majestic shark, falling into the hands of people, on the shore became a source of many products. Some of its parts were eaten, all kinds of handicrafts, musical instruments were made from the skin, fat was extracted from the liver. which was used in various spheres of life, including for the production of medicines and vitamin A. For example, shark squalene has positive reviews and today, it is actively used in cosmetics, medicine. In addition, shark teeth and bones were actively used to make a wide variety of weapons, both ritual and self-defense.

At one time, the aero fire was considered a well-known type of weapon; it was made from the tail spike of a stingray. Already jagged along the edges by nature, with a formidable point at the end, it was considered in capable hands.
The natives of the Ellis Islands used shark teeth for more peaceful purposes. Securely attaching a sharp shark tooth to a stick, local "surgeons" used it as a scalpel when performing primitive operations.

The locals of New Zealand call the sevengill shark that lives in coastal waters the Tuatipi. In the old days, they used her teeth in the manufacture of a saw-like instrument of the world - tuatipi. It was believed that its only purpose was to cut human flesh. Maori have always associated sharks with war, blood and death. Mixing red henna with shark fat, they painted the resulting mixture of gravestones that were erected on the graves of great and prominent leaders, painted their war boats - canoes. Another area of ​​application of shark oil was cosmetics, they were lubricated with skin and hair. Shark fat was used to anoint the bodies of the dead during funeral ceremonies.

The inhabitants of some Pacific islands used shark skin, due to its strength, properties not to stretch, to make drums, which as a result had the right tone when struck. In Sumatra, tambourines and drums were made from the skin of the Sephen stingray.

The inhabitants of Bermuda use it as a very primitive but reliable barometer. It is made as follows: the oil from the liver and brain of the shark is placed in a bottle and tightly corked. When a storm approaches, the mass in the bottle becomes cloudy.

How to apply shark oil?

The American weather folklore collector Eric Sloan wrote an ad in the Weather Calendar that he found in an old Connecticut newspaper. The ad offered to buy "the perfect weather forecaster" for just one dollar. A certain magical liquid served as a predictor, cloudy before bad weather and rain. Sloan suggested that this magical concoction was shark oil. One of the book's authors kept a tightly closed bottle of shark oil on the window of his office. But according to the results of the experiment, he says that the contents of the bottle do become cloudy before the cold snap and brighten back when the weather improves and becomes warm, but he cannot swear for sure that shark oil is an accurate predictor of the weather. It was believed that this was caused by the usual solidification of fat. For example, if a bottle of fat is placed in the refrigerator, after an hour the fat turns into a mass of butter-like consistency.

When settling in Australia in 1788, it was believed that the use of shark oil in the room helps to expel the darkness that lurks danger from the houses. About Australia, David Collins wrote that nothing was wasted here, from everything, including sharks, they learned to benefit. Shark liver oil was sold by the shilling by the quart, and only a few houses used pleasant candle lighting.

Today, shark oil is used in a wide variety of industries, in the production of margarine, when stabbing high-quality steel, in leather dressing, in pharmacology, in the manufacture of various cosmetics and soaps, as a high-grade lubricant (for example, for lubricating a watch mechanism), in diluting oil colors. You can buy squalene as an additional extracted component in the processing of shark oil and the release of vitamin A from it. Especially popular squalene capsules, which you can find in our .

In Japan, not only shark skin is now being used, but also cartilage, from which shark amino or “elixir of life” is made. Gelatin glue is prepared from old, unsuitable for shagreen leather and cartilage; the pancreas of sharks becomes a source of insulin, for people with diabetes, and pancreatin, which improves the digestion process. From the liver - they melt fat, which is very useful due to the qualities of the constituent components, its product, squalene from Japan enjoys particular popularity.

The art of making shagreen

Examining modern shagreen, experts came to the conclusion that its quality level has significantly decreased, especially after the Second World War, the reason was the lack of high-quality rawhies, for example, in Japan there is not a single rawhide that would be engaged in dressing shark skin for cosmetic purposes. Wataru Shimizu, a professor at the University of Kyoto, believes that sword hilts should use the skin of aizame, a flat-nosed shark of the prickly family, this will allow the hand not to slip.

In Europe, the art of making sharkskin shagreen began only when travelers in the 17th century began to bring various items covered with shagreen from the East, including jewelry cases. Today, the art of making shagreen is almost completely forgotten and lost. By the 17th century, it had reached significant heights. In France, thanks to this craft, the names of two famous masters, Jean-Claude Galuche, as well as his son, Denis Claude, were immortalized. Their shagreen pieces were so remarkable that they got the name galuche, which is still preserved in France today for the highest quality of shagreen. In Holland, shagreen masters formed a guild called segrnywerkers.

Everything was made from galush: watch cases, cases for silverware, photo frames, writing instruments, very expensive books were bound into shagreen, cases for telescopes and microscopes were made from it. Quite often, antique dealers have no idea that shark skin can be so beautiful, supple, and pleasant to the touch, or they don't know what's in their hands. In our time, very often objects made of shagreen are given out as products made from the skin of a lizard, snake or seal.

So what is shagreen? This is the skin of a stingray or shark with interspersed plactoid scales. Shagreen - amazing beautiful thing. It is used mainly for decorating products, and it is impossible to make almost everything out of it. The sharp ends of the scales are ground down with a carborundum sharpener or polished by hand.

For many years, shagreen lovers and craftsmen have been interested in the question: how to remove placoid scales from the skin, and at the same time not damage the natural structure of shark skin? The roots of the scales go deep into the epidermis of the skin. Chemical preparations that were used in the manufacture of shagreen could not penetrate to the desired depth and melt the roots, and if the solution was taken in large quantities, it could completely destroy the skin. It was very difficult to process the skin so that it was not very rough or, on the contrary, fragile. Such skin could not be used for sale. A method was urgently needed to isolate scales from the epidermis of the skin in such a way as to preserve its structure and make it both elastic and strong.

09.07.2013

Now sharks are caught solely for their fins. After they are cut off, the still-alive shark is often thrown into the sea. Our ancestors acted wiser and more humane: they fully used their prey.

Even in the time of Christ in Cuba, necklaces were made from the teeth and vertebrae of tiger and gray sharks. The Eskimos of Greenland made their first tool of labor from the teeth of a polar shark. And the American Indians used shark teeth as razors. On Ellis Island, shark teeth were used as a surgical instrument - a scalpel. Very often, shark teeth were used as a piercing or cutting part of a weapon. So the peoples of Polynesia, Indonesia and Australia made their clubs, swords and daggers.

Shark skin was also used: it is durable and does not stretch. The Eskimos of Greenland cut ropes from it, and drums were made on the Pacific islands. In the Middle Ages, the part of the oar in the oarlock was wrapped in shark skin. Often it was used as a fine sandpaper - ancient Greek artisans polished hardwoods with it. And in the days of sailing ships, the deck was scrubbed with shark skin. Even now in Italy they grind marble with it.

The skin of sharks (it is called shagreen) was widely used for the manufacture of various household items. Jewelry boxes, cases for silverware and watches, photo frames were especially popular. The most expensive books were bound in sharkskin. But before anything was made from leather, it was manually polished or ground into sharp scales. When a method of automatic grinding was found, it became possible to obtain thin skin. It began to be used for the manufacture of belts, wallets, watch straps. Shoes are also made from shagreen - mainly for men and children, because. it requires special strength.

Some shark organs can be used for medicinal purposes. Shark liver is especially valued. From it, fat is rendered, reminiscent of cod. It is believed to heal cuts and burns. If you rub the joints with shark fat, you can get rid of rheumatism, and if you drink it, then the cough goes away. And the inhabitants of the Black Sea coast with katran fat treated tuberculosis, anemia and stomach diseases. White sharks will help get rid of stomach cancer.

Shark liver is rich in vitamins, especially vitamin A. At the end of the 20th century, drugs for the treatment of cancer began to be produced from shark liver oil. And from the pancreas of a deep-sea shark, drugs are being prepared to treat leukemia and uterine cancer.

The immune system of sharks is so perfect and trouble-free that scientists have not been able to instill in them a single serious disease. Therefore, intensive research is underway to develop a cure for AIDS.

Pharmacists use sharks: squalene, which is extracted from the liver, allows cosmetic products to be stored for a long time, gives a pleasant smell and medicinal properties.

In addition, shark oil is used in the industrial dressing of leather, steel hardening, the production of margarine, soap, and for diluting oil paints.

Fearless Ocean Predators

After the release of the film "Jaws" by Steven Spielberg, perhaps not a single person remained with indifference related to sharks. And although out of more than 450 species of sharks, only 4 species are considered truly dangerous for people, and the risk of dying from a shark attack is less than from a falling coconut, but in the minds of people, there are few creatures in the ocean more terrible and aggressive than sharks.

Sharks living at the bottom of the ocean feed on small crustaceans. They tend to be brownish in color, which helps them blend in with the sand in which they hunt. These are essential skills for survival and this kind of disguise helps these hunters to stealthily approach their prey and not be discovered until it's too late.

The skin of a shark must be very tight to help keep it warm and support the muscles attached to its inner layers. The largest shark is the Whale Shark, which boasts about 10 centimeters thick skin.

While some shark species are protected under CITES, shark species whose skin is used to make leather goods, are not critically endangered or endangered and their trade is not regulated by CITES.

According to the United Nations, the Tiger, Yellow, Dusky, Nurse, Sand, Herring, Mako, Bronze Hammerhead and Bull sharks are most commonly used in the manufacture of leather goods.

In ancient times, Norwegians were among the first shark fishing specialists, but since then, shark fishing has spread all over the world.

Sharkskin

Shark skin is unique in many ways. She is characterized by her gray color and the contrast between her appearance and the slippery, rough tactile texture.

The dermal serrations present on shark skin give it a rough texture, and are structures that resemble hard, striated serrations, but are actually placoid scales. It helps the fish to glide through the water as it reduces turbulence by directing the water through the grooves in the skin and thereby reducing friction against the water in which it moves.

These serrations make shark skin rough to the touch and led to the use of shark skin as emery. In fact, it is so rough that soft animals, touching it, can be seriously injured.

The scales are arranged in a mosaic that surrounds the shark's body, resembling a spiral, and act as a supportive corset. Since sharks do not have skeletal bones, the muscles used for swimming are attached directly to the inside of this corset. This saves the shark energy, allowing it to swim faster and further without getting tired.

The skin of a shark is very rough to the touch, but the tanned skin of a shark is smooth and silky. Its texture has a speckled appearance that is most appealing to the eye. It is very durable and abrasion resistant.

During the manufacturing process, leather goes through unique and complex stages of tanning and dyeing. Depending on the tanning methods, there are Various types shark skins, some are hard while others are soft and flexible.

Shark skin is tanned, in most cases, in the same way as the skin of most land animals, such as cows, although untanned skin known as pebbled leather is also used to make some leather goods.

During the manufacturing process, the leather can be impregnated with additional oils, which gives it an extraordinary softness down to the level of clothing leather. On customer request, the outer surface of the leather can be sanded to a nubuck or suede effect using coarse sandpaper.

Shark skin is one of the most durable types of skin known to man. According to various estimates, its strength is estimated at 7 - 11 times greater than cowhide. Shark skins range in size from 0.35 to 1 sq.m.

Due to the high demand for shark skin, it is one of the few leathers whose availability fluctuates greatly from season to season. Therefore, it often makes sense to purchase a larger quantity of such leather if you are planning a long-term production of goods from it.

Shark skin products

As already noted, in the past, the raw skin of a shark was used as sandpaper for polishing. However, today, well-crafted shark skin is used to make shoes, bags, wallets, purses and other leather goods. A large number of such skins are obtained from fishing villages, as by-products of national cuisines.

Sharkskin accessories, such as watch straps, are comfortable and waterproof, so you don't have to worry about them getting damaged by water on your skin.

Shark skin products are especially popular in the USA, Northern Europe and Japan. Shark skin is widely used to create luxury items such as pocket books, wallets, cases, shoes and boots (including boots created by the Kelme brand), bags, purses, watch straps, belts, gloves, jackets and furniture and more. It is also used for sword hilts, as its rough texture keeps the hand from slipping off the hilt and works like sandpaper.

Products of the High Quality self made from the magnificent skin of a shark can now be found on and on the Russian market. Our store and online boutique "Exotic Leather" is pleased to present to your attention the most interesting and modern accessories, such as shark skin wallets and purses.

Due to the unique beauty, durability and exceptional properties of shark skin, we are confident that even the most demanding customers will find their personalized piece of shark accessory with us and will enjoy and appreciate these beautiful handmade shark skin masterpieces for many years to come.

Demand for such luxury items continues to grow and leather becomes more and more fashionable.

For millions of years of existence, nature has achieved the perfection of its offspring - the shark, bringing its body to the body of an ideal predator.
Everything in this creature is perfect - both ideal forms for movement in water, and powerful weapons - teeth, as it should be for a predator, and the ability of its body to resist various diseases, which is also important for a predator that eats different foods, including sick aquatic animals. With its powerful jaws, it can even bite through the shell of a turtle, and the speed that a shark can develop is amazing.
It is the unique, perfect structure of each cell in the body of sharks that helped them survive those natural disasters that killed many other animals and withstand fierce competition in the animal world of the seas and oceans.

Reliable shark body cover

Like other fish, the shark is equipped with scales. And here mother nature did a great job, creating a reliable and very practical shell for the body of a shark.
Shark skin is covered with so-called placoid scales. The word "placoid" is derived from the Greek words "plakos" (plate, plane) and "eidos" (form, appearance).
Each such scale is a subcutaneous plate with a tooth that goes out through the skin; while the tooth on the scale is directed towards the back of the shark's body, i.e. to her tail.

The shape of the scales can be varied, you can see this in the figures below, and there is an interesting detail - the scales seem to repeat the shape of the shark's teeth.
If you remember from the materials of this site, each type of shark has its own, special shape of teeth. The same can be said about the shape of the scales on the skin of sharks. Therefore, it is not surprising that shark scales are also called “skin teeth”. Inside the skin tooth there is a cavity containing loose tissue, nerves and blood vessels - the pulp, and several channels extending from it - in general, everything is like in real teeth.

Shark teeth and scales have a similar external and internal structure, as well as the ability to constantly change. These elements of the body of sharks have the same origin, as they appeared as a result of a mutation in ancient fish in the form of a neoplasm in the skin. But, performing different functions, placoid scales and teeth acquired certain differences in structure and size, specific to each type of shark.

If you dare to stroke the shark "against the grain", then for sure the matter will end with peeled skin on your hands. In addition, the skin of sharks is so strong that it is not always possible to pierce it even with a knife.
In some places, the scales reach a considerable thickness and can withstand loads on the body up to half a ton per square centimeter. The body of a shark is reliably protected from the teeth of other predatory inhabitants of sea waters.

Each scale is covered with a layer of special enamel - vitrodentin, which gives them strength. Shark teeth are covered with similar enamel.
The fatty secretion secreted by the shark's skin envelops the scales, creating a special coating on the body of the fish, which reduces the shark's resistance to sliding in the water. Everything is thought out and optimized as much as possible!

The plactoid scales cover almost the entire body of the shark, only the gill slits remain vulnerable to outside invasion. By the way, in many manuals on repelling shark attacks, it is recommended to hit the gills, which sometimes helps to scare away the predator. Entering the oral cavity of the shark, the scales form shark teeth - the same scales, only much larger. Modifying, shark skin scales also form other bone outgrowths on the body of some species, for example, spines of katrans and saw blades.

The figure below shows shark skin fragments. various kinds with scales depicted on them. As you can see, the shape of the scales and the location of the plactoid scales on the skin of predators can vary greatly.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that in individuals of the same species of sharks, the location and even shape of the scales in different parts of the body may differ, so it can be quite difficult to determine the type of shark from one plactoid scales or skin fragments.

Man has long appreciated such qualities of shark skin as the extreme strength and endurance of its scales to mechanical stress.
It was these qualities of the skin that served the sharks, in "communication" with people, an unkind service. Since ancient times, the skin of sharks has been used in various areas of human activity - both as sandpaper, which is extremely wear-resistant, and as the so-called shagreen leather, which has unique properties due to its strength. Just think - in terms of strength indicators, shagreen is ten times superior to cowhide!

It is pleasant to touch the pebbled skin (unlike the skin of a living shark) - it is soft and smooth, as if a virtuoso hairdresser worked on its surface with a razor. Modern technologies allow you to paint shagreen in any color, for every taste.
Such leather was an indispensable raw material for the shoe industry, in addition, it was used and is used in haberdashery. There used to be a saying that shagreen boots are easier to lose than to wear out.

Shark scales are often referred to as skin denticles; in terms of strength and structure, it is close to bones: tiny protrusions sit on a diamond-shaped plate, really resembling teeth. Scales create almost ideal hydrodynamic conditions for sharks. Due to the pattern of depressions and protrusions, the scales dampen turbulent disturbances in the streams of water flowing around the shark's body and reduce environmental resistance, which makes these fish almost the fastest swimmers.

But, as it turned out, the possibilities of shark skin are not limited to this. According to the staff of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (USA), no accurate quantitative studies have been conducted so far on how scales affect the speed of shark movement in real time, that is, with changes in speed, direction of movement, etc. To evaluate all hydrodynamic advantages of shark skin, Johannes Offner and George Lauder attached pieces of shark skin to a special underwater robot and checked how fast the underwater vehicle would move. The researchers note that the shark skin was not rigidly attached to mimic the flexibility and mobility of the skin on live fish.

According to zoologists in an article published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, shark skin increased the speed of movement under water by 12%, and this was not only due to a decrease in water resistance and a decrease in turbulence. It turned out that the structure of the scales contributes to the formation of water vortices near the surface of the body of the fish, which push it forward. That is, the water also slightly pushes the shark in the direction of movement.

Not only the shape of each individual scale works for this effect, but also their location on the skin. Scientists hope that research in this direction will help create special coatings for ships, underwater vehicles and wetsuits that would facilitate movement in the water. However, so far, all attempts to adopt the hydrodynamic tricks of sharks have not led to any impressive results ...

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