Sharks have a highly variable number of teeth depending on the species, but generally, they have multiple rows of teeth that can total from about 190 to over 1,000 teeth at any given time

. Typically, sharks have between 5 to 15 rows of teeth in each jaw, with some species having as many as 50 rows

. This means a shark might have around 50 teeth visible at once, but many more are in development behind them

. Sharks continually lose and replace their teeth throughout their lives. For example, great white sharks have about 50 working teeth at a time, but including the rows of developing teeth behind these, the total number of teeth a shark goes through in a lifetime can be tens of thousands-some estimates suggest over 50,000 teeth over a lifetime for certain sharks

. To summarize:

• Number of teeth at one time: roughly 50 to over 300 depending on species and rows

• Number of rows: usually 5 to 15, but up to 50 in some species

• Total teeth over a lifetime: can exceed 30,000 to 50,000 due to continuous tooth replacement

This continuous tooth replacement is essential because shark teeth are not very strong and fall out easily during feeding, but new teeth quickly replace lost ones to maintain their effectiveness as predators

. Thus, while the exact number varies, sharks have hundreds of teeth at once and can go through tens of thousands during their lifetime.