Totem of the day is Shark! Uphold dignity and self-respect in your daily life no matter the circumstance. However, work on sensing your emotions and letting them flow past without getting stuck on any one emotion. It will be important to take notice of how your diet changes your mood and to consider what changes you may need to make for a healthy life physically and emotionally. You may become particularly sensitive in the coming time so avoid negative environments or people, but know that you are well protected. Use your heightened ability in this time to organize what is right or what is unnecessary for your life. The Shark spirit guide is known for it's connection to guidance, determination, travel, productivity, protection, and authority. The Shark appears as a reminder that opportunities are all around us as long as she remember to push onward. Only by exploring your world and your emotions will you find the avenues available for you. Stop waiting. Find inner power, commitment, and fierce determination when you call on shark. At times, shark can represent an aggressive force, but they also come as a guide to show you the way. Sharks were seen both as inspiration for folklore as well as Gods in some cultures. In Hawaii, sharks were revered as gods who protected the people and the islands. These Gods include Kamohoali'i, the king of the shark Gods able to transform into other shapes; Ka'ahupahau, the goddess who had been born as a human; and Kane'apua, the trickster God. Dakuwaqa was a half shark, half man seen as a major god of the Fuji islands who would protect against sea monsters, help to ensure a bountiful catch, and aid fishermen in avoiding danger at sea. People who connect with Shark are usually busy with an active lifestyle that has them always working on something. These individuals can find it hard to rest and gravitate towards jobs which include authority over discipline. Although they are also very sensitive and peace-loving. At times, these types may hermit away for portions of time in solitude in order to avoid becoming anxious.

Sharks, Selachimorpha, are carnivorous fish with a sleek, streamlined body comprised of a skeleton made of cartilage. They belong to the group of elasmobranch fish which also includes sawfish, skates, and rays. The earliest known sharks date back to over 420 million years ago and over 500 species of them can be found today. They are found in seas all over the world with a preference for warmer waters. Only a small portion of sharks such as river sharks and bull sharks are able to live in freshwater. The largest species of shark, the whale shark, is also the largest fish in the world. They can grow over 40 feet long and weigh over 20 tons with a life span of up to 70 years. Even being the biggest species of shark, Whale sharks only eat plankton. The smallest species of shark is the Dwarf Lantern Shark which grows only just over 8 inches long and can be found off the coasts of Colombia and Venezuela. These tiny sharks eat mainly krill and possess bio-luminescent, sharp spines used both to trick and trap prey or to ward away other predators. Dwarf lanternshark are only three types of shark that possess bio-luminescence. These beautiful creatures are extremely sensitive. Their body is covered in a complex 'skin' comprised of flexible fibers arranged in a spiral pattern. This provides sharks with a flexible, strong outer skeleton that aids in reducing turbulence when swimming as well as reducing the cost of energy when swimming. Their lightweight skeleton comprised of cartilage and connective tissues also reduces energy usage. Sharks do not possess rib cages and so can easily become crushed under their own weight if beached on land. Sharks possess an incredible sense of smell and are even able to tell the direction of a scent based on the timing of when the scent reaches which nostril. This is similar to how mammals tell the direction of a sound. Sharks are also extremely sensitive creatures with hundreds to thousands of electroreceptor organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini located on their head. Sharks have the greatest electrical sensitivity of any animal with the ability to find prey hidden in sand by detecting their electric fields. Sharks can even sense the electric fields produced by ocean currents moving with the magnetic field of the Earth for orientation. The eyes of a shark are similar to a mammals, but they have a tissue called the tapetum lucidum which adapts their eyes to their marine lifestyles. Unlike other fish, sharks can dilate or contract their pupils. Although they do not blink even though they have eyelids. Some species have nictitating membranes that cover the eyes while hunting. Other species, such as the Great White shark, do not have this membrane and will roll their eyes backwards to protect them when attacking prey. The diet of a shark changes depending on species. Megamouth sharks, whale sharks, and basking sharks all eat plankton with different techniques. The megamouth shark has bioluminscent tissues inside their mouth to attract their prey before sucking them in. Sharks such as angel sharks and wobbegongs use camouflage to ambush their prey while the cookiecutter shark uses it's highly specialized teeth to take chunks of flesh from larger animals by latching on, creating a seal with their thick lips, and twisting their bodies to rip off flesh. A large amount of sharks will swallow prey whole such as fish or squid. Thresher sharks stun shoaling fish with their tails while other species, such as the whitetip reef shark, hunt in cooperative groups. Certain sharks must constantly swim in order to breathe. These species must engage in a process called sleep swimming in order to sleep. Studies have shown that in this action, the swimming is coordinated by the spinal cord while the brain sleeps. Other species keep water flowing over their gills while sleeping using their spiracles, or the openings around their gills. These sharks have been known to keep their eyes open while sleeping. Even following divers moving around them. On average, sharks swim around 5 mph and can reach up to 12 mph when feeding. The shortfin mako shark, the fastest shark and among the fastest of fish, can reach up to 31 mph. Reproduction occurs in a variety of ways for sharks. While they reproduce sexually, there have been rare cases of females reproducing asexually. Sharks bear their young in three ways: Oviparity, ovoviviparity, and viviparity. Oviparity is when eggs are laid in a protective egg case similar to leather which the young will develop within and hatch from. Sharks that use this technique include the swellshark, horn shark, and catshark. Viviparity occurs when the mother will birth fully functional young, but keep a placental cord linking them. Species that use this include the hammerhead, smoothhound, and bull sharks. Lastly, ovoviviparity occurs when the eggs hatch within the mother. In some sharks, the first embryos to hatch will eat the unhatched eggs while the sand tiger shark's young will actually eat other embryos. The baby sharks, called sharklets, are born fully functional.