Scyliorhinidae
Australian reticulate swellshark
Cephaloscyllium hiscosellum
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.
Australian reticulate swellshark
Scyliorhinidae
Australian sawtail catshark
Figaro boardmani
Carcharhinidae
Australian sharpnose shark
Rhizoprionodon taylori
Pentanchidae
Australian spotted catshark
Asymbolus analis
Scyliorhinidae
Australian swellshark
Cephaloscyllium laticeps
Hemigaleidae
Australian weasel shark
Hemigaleus australiensis
Scyliorhinidae
Bach’s catshark
Bythaelurus bachi
Pristiophoridae
Bahamas sawshark
Pristiophorus schroederi
Scyliorhinidae
Bali catshark
Atelomycterus baliensis
Scyliorhinidae
balloon shark
Cephaloscyllium sufflans
Triakidae
banded houndshark
Triakis scyllium
Scyliorhinidae
Banded sand catshark
Atelomycterus fasciatus
Leptochariidae
barbeled houndshark
Leptocharias smithii
Parascylliidae
barbelthroat carpet shark
Cirrhoscyllium expolitum
Etmopteridae
Bareskin dogfish
Centroscyllium kamoharai
Etmopteridae
Barrie's lanternshark
Etmopterus brosei
Squalidae
Bartail spurdog
Squalus notocaudatus
Orectolobidae
bearded wobbegong
Eucrossorhinus dasypogon
Dichichthyidae
Beige bristle shark
Dichichthys bigus
Megachasmidae
big mouth shark
Megachasma pelagios
Triakidae
bigeye houndshark
Iago omanensis
Hexanchidae
bigeye sixgill shark
Hexanchus nakamurai
Alopiidae
bigeye thresher
Alopias superciliosus
Pentanchidae
Bighead catshark
Apristurus bucephalus
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.