Squalidae
Pacific spiny dogfish
Squalus suckleyi
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
SCROLL
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.
Pacific spiny dogfish
Heterodontidae
Painted hornshark
Heterodontus marshallae
Pentanchidae
Pale spotted catshark
Asymbolus pallidus
Pentanchidae
Panama ghost catshark
Apristurus stenseni
Hemiscylliidae
Papuan epaulette shark
Hemiscyllium hallstromi
Heterodontidae
Peruvian horn shark
Heterodontus quoyi
Pentanchidae
Phallic Catshark
Galeus priapus
Squalidae
Philippiines spurdog
Squalus montalbani
Pristiophoridae
Philippine sawshark
Pristiophorus lanae
Squatinidae
Philippines angelshark
Squatina caillieti
Carcharhinidae
pigeye shark
Carcharhinus amboinensis
Heterodontidae
pigfish
Heterodontus portusjacksoni
Etmopteridae
Pink lanternshark
Etmopterus dianthus
Pentanchidae
Pinocchio Catshark
Apristurus australis
Carcharhinidae
Pondicherry shark
Carcharhinus hemiodon
Lamnidae
Porbeagle
Lamna nasus
Somniosidae
Portuguese shark
Centroscymnus coelolepis
Oxynotidae
Prickly dogfish
Oxynotus bruniensis
Scyliorhinidae
Puffadder shyshark
Haploblepharus edwardsii
Pseudotriakidae
Pygmy false catshark
Planonasus indicus
Etmopteridae
Pygmy lanternshark
Etmopterus fusus
Proscylliidae
pygmy ribbontail catshark
Eridacnis radcliffei
Dalatiidae
pygmy shark
Euprotomicrus bispinatus
Pentanchidae
Quagga catshark
Halaelurus quagga
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.