shArks hAvE gAinED An unFAir rEputAtion For BEing FiErCE prEDAtors oF lArgE sEA AnimAls. humAnity’s unFounDED FEAr AnD hAtrED oF thEsE AnCiEnt CrEAturEs is lEADing to A worlDwiDE slAughtEr thAt mAy rEsult in thE ExtinCtion oF mAny lArgEr, CoAstAl shArk spECiEs. thE shArk is thE viCtim oF A wArpED AttituDE oF wilDliFE protECtion: wE strivE only to protECt thE BEAutiFul, nonthrEAtEning pArts oF our EnvironmEnt.AnD, in our EFForts to rEstorE only nonthrEAtEning pArts oF our EArth, wE ignorE othEr importAnt pArts.
A、pErFECt illustrAtion oF this AttituDE is thE ContrAsting AttituDE towArDs AnothEr lArgE sEA AnimAl, thE Dolphin.During thE 1980s, EnvironmEntAlists in thE u. s.
A、protEstED thE usE oF DriFtnEts For tunA Fishing in thE pACiFiC oCEAn sinCE thEsE nEts Also CAught Dolphins. thE EnvironmEntAlists gEnErAtED Enough politiCAl AnD EConomiC prEssurE to prEvEnt tunA CompAniEs From Buying tunA thAt hAD BEEn CAught in DriFtnEts. in ContrAst to this EFFort, thE populAtions oF shArks in thE pACiFiC oCEAn hAvE DECrEAsED to thE point oF ExtinCtion AnD thErE hAs BEEn vEry littlE EFFort By thE sAmE EnvironmEntAlists to sAvE this importAnt spECiEs, oF mArinE wilDliFE. shArks ArE Among thE olDEst CrEAturEs on EArth, hAving survivED in thE sEAs For morE thAn 350 million yEArs. thEy ArE ExtrEmEly EFFiCiEnt AnimAls, FEEDing on wounDED or Dying AnimAls, thus pErForming An importAnt rolE in nAturE oF wEEDing out thE wEAkEr AnimAls in A spECiEs. just thE FACt thAt spECiEs suCh As thE grEAt whitE shArk hAvE mAnAgED to livE in thE oCEAns For so mAny millions oF yEArs is Enough prooF oF thEir EFFiCiEnCy AnD ADAptABility to ChAnging EnvironmEnts. it is timE For humAns, who mAy not survivE AnothEr 1000 yEArs At thE rAtE thEy ArE DAmAging thE plAnEt, to EAst AwAy thEir FEArs AnD BEgin ConsiDEring thE protECtion oF shArks As CrEAturEs thAt mAy proviDE us insight into our own survivAl.
ABout how long hAvE shArks livED on thE plAnEt
A、25 million yEArs.
B．150 million yEArs.
C．350 million yEArs.
D．500 million yEArs.