Squalidae
Bighead spurdog
Squalus bucephalus
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.
Bighead spurdog
Carcharhinidae
bignose shark
Carcharhinus altimus
Centrophoridae
Birdbeak dogfish
Deania calceus
Etmopteridae
black dogfish
Centroscyllium fabricii
Pentanchidae
Black roughscale catshark
Apristurus melanoasper
Odontaspididae
black sand tiger
Odontaspis noronhai
Etmopteridae
blackbelly dogfish
Etmopterus hillianus
Etmopteridae
blackbelly lanternshark
Etmopterus lucifer
Centrophoridae
blackfin gulper shark
Centrophorus isodon
Pentanchidae
blackmouth catshark
Galeus melastomus
Etmopteridae
Blackmouth lanternshark
Etmopterus evansi
Carcharhinidae
blacknose shark
Carcharhinus acronotus
Carcharhinidae
blackspot shark
Carcharhinus sealei
Pentanchidae
Blackspotted catshark
Halaelurus buergeri
Triakidae
blackspotted smoothhound
Mustelus punctulatus
Squalidae
Blacktailed spurdog
Squalus melanurus
Carcharhinidae
blacktip reef shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
Pentanchidae
Blacktip sawtail catshark
Galeus sauteri
Carcharhinidae
blacktip shark
Carcharhinus limbatus
Triakidae
blacktipe tope
Hypogaleus hyugaensis
Pentanchidae
Blotched catshark
Asymbolus funebris
Scyliorhinidae
blotched catshark
Scyliorhinus meadi
Scyliorhinidae
Blotchy swell shark
Cephaloscyllium umbratile
Carcharhinidae
Blue shark
Prionace glauca
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.