THIS week it is World Shark Awareness Day that celebrates one of the most well known aquatic animals.

The day takes place on July 14 and helps people across the world to learn more about these amazing and misunderstood creatures.

The day is said to have its origins in the US but nowadays the aim is to raise awareness of sharks and their importance of marine life on a universal level.

Sharks, like fish, date back so far in history that many scientists refer to them as 'living fossils'. It is thought that they are even older than trees and dinosaurs, with the latter having roamed the earth for 230 million years. Whilst it is thought that sharks have been on the planet for 420 million years now, surviving five mass extinctions.

Their sleek body shapes help in providing agility whilst they swim through the oceans. They also typically have five or six slits on their sides and pectoral fins that are not attached to their heads.

In the 16th century sharks began to be known as sea dogs, a name which has stuck in some places to this day.

Over the past few decades shark numbers have began to dwindle for several reasons. This includes people hunting them and bad depictions of the animals in film and other media which has lead to unnecessary killing. It is thought that one hundred million sharks are killed each year because of fear from humans.

However, sharks are important to marine ecosystems and it is vital for us to help to preserve the existence of all species of sharks.

We hope that you enjoy this collection of photos which shows how people in Cumbria have shown an interest in the animals.