Squatinidae
African angelshark
Squatina africana
FISH SPECIES
Sharks
Sharks are cartilaginous fishes with skeletons made primarily of cartilage. They include small bottom dwellers, open-ocean hunters and giant filter feeders such as the whale shark.
FISH ATLAS / FIELD GUIDESharksIN THIS CHAPTER01 / Characteristics02 / Lifestyle03 / Species04 / Field notes
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01 / NATURAL HISTORY
Characteristics
Typical features include exposed gill slits, replaceable teeth and placoid scales that give the skin a tooth-like texture. Body form and feeding strategy vary across the major shark orders.
- 01Ground sharks
- 02Mackerel sharks
- 03Carpet sharks
02 / LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle
Shark locomotion and foraging strategies reflect adaptations across diverse marine niches. While active pelagic predators utilize obligate ram ventilation and cruise continuously using specialized caudal keels, many benthic species possess spiracles that allow stationary pumping while resting on the ocean floor. Electroreceptive ampullae of Lorenzini detect minuscule bioelectric fields emitted by buried prey during low-speed sweeps.
OBSERVATION INDEX
- Continuous cruising vs stationary rest
- Bioelectric tracking with ampullae
- Pelagic schooling and bottom hunting
03 / SPECIES
Representative species
Discover representative species illustrating the ecological diversity, morphologies and adaptations of this group.
African angelshark
Pristiophoridae
African dwarf sawshark
Pristiophorus nancyae
Etmopteridae
African lanternshark
Etmopterus polli
Proscylliidae
African ribbontail catshark
Eridacnis sinuans
Pentanchidae
African spotted catshark
Holohalaelurus punctatus
Triakidae
Andaman smoothhound
Mustelus andamanensis
Squatinidae
Angel shark
Squatina armata
Squatinidae
Angular angel shark
Squatina guggenheim
Squatinidae
Angular angel shark
Squatina punctata
Oxynotidae
angular rough-shark
Oxynotus centrina
Pristiophoridae
Anna’s sixgill sawshark
Pliotrema annae
Hemiscylliidae
Arabian bamboo shark
Chiloscyllium arabicum
Triakidae
Arabian smooth-hound
Mustelus mosis
Squatinidae
Argentine angelshark
Squatina argentina
Centrophoridae
arrowhead dogfish
Deania profundorum
Squalidae
Atlantic lobefin dogfish
Squalus lobularis
Pentanchidae
Atlantic sawtail catshark
Galeus atlanticus
Carcharhinidae
Atlantic sharpnose shark
Rhizoprionodon terraenovae
Hemigaleidae
Atlantic weasel shark
Paragaleus pectoralis
Squatinidae
Australian angelshark
Squatina australis
Scyliorhinidae
Australian blackspotted catshark
Aulohalaelurus labiosus
Carcharhinidae
Australian blacktip shark
Carcharhinus tilstoni
Triakidae
Australian grey smooth-hound
Mustelus ravidus
Scyliorhinidae
Australian marbled catshark
Atelomycterus macleayi
04 / FIELD NOTES
A closer look
Must all sharks swim constantly to avoid suffocating?
No. Only certain open-ocean sharks rely on obligate ram ventilation. Many bottom-dwelling species (like nurse and carpet sharks) use spiracles and buccal pumping to breathe while resting stationary on the ocean floor.
How many teeth do sharks produce in a lifetime?
Shark teeth are arranged in conveyer-belt rows and continually shed as they wear down; an individual shark can produce thousands of functional teeth over its lifetime.
Is a whale shark dangerous to humans?
No. Despite reaching over 12 meters in length, whale sharks are gentle filter feeders that consume microscopic plankton, krill and small schooling fishes, posing no danger to divers.