That stupid smooth sharks meme has been taking up space in my brain all these years that could be used for remembering my wedding anniversary, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is HN, rather than Reddit, so the replies are basically all serious from what I can see. One of the “dangers” of memeing on here I think
It’s the main reason why I spend more time here than Reddit. You’re almost guaranteed to get some thoughtful responses instead of the usual memes or hilariously witty and clever quips.
Sharks are only smooth in one direction. They're smooth from front to back, but rough from back to front.
This explains why they mostly swim in the forward direction.
You’re half right. They are smooth from front to back, but also, from back to front.
(…sorry I shouldn’t have started this)
I do scuba diving as a hobby and I have touched a few sharks. Every one of them had rough skin, just like sandpaper actually.
Yikes! That would terrify me. Do the sharks seem bothered by it?
I’m also a scuba diver and have also touched sharks while diving. They reacted in a similar way to a dolphin or a seal or any other large aquatic animal, as in it all depends on how they are touched. If it’s a gentle “pet”, they don’t seem to mind. If you punched, poked, yanked, or some other aggressive action, then the response would be different. Also note, there’s many types of sharks and not surprisingly, some more aggressive than others. I can’t speak for GP, but I’ve never touched a bull/tiger/mako shark, let alone a great white.