Orectolobidae
cobbler shark
Sutorectus tentaculatus
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.
cobbler shark
Etmopteridae
Combtooth dogfish
Centroscyllium nigrum
Etmopteridae
Combtooth lanternshark
Etmopterus decacuspidatus
Pristiophoridae
Common sawshark
Pristiophorus cirratus
Scyliorhinidae
Cook's swellshark
Cephaloscyllium cooki
Dalatiidae
cookiecutter shark
Isistius brasiliensis
Carcharhinidae
copper shark
Carcharhinus brachyurus
Scyliorhinidae
Coral catshark
Atelomycterus marmoratus
Carcharhinidae
Creek whaler
Carcharhinus fitzroyensis
Heterodontidae
crested shark
Heterodontus galeatus
Squalidae
Cuban dogfish
Squalus cubensis
Proscylliidae
Cuban ribbontail catshark
Eridacnis barbouri
Etmopteridae
Cylindrical lanternshark
Etmopterus carteri
Carcharhinidae
Daggernose shark
Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus
Scyliorhinidae
Dark freckled catshark
Scyliorhinus ugoi
Scyliorhinidae
Dark shyshark
Haploblepharus pictus
Squatinidae
David’s Angel Shark
Squatina david
Pentanchidae
deepsea cat shark
Apristurus profundorum
Triakidae
deepwater sicklefin hound shark
Hemitriakis abdita
Etmopteridae
Dense-scale lantern shark
Etmopterus pycnolepis
Scyliorhinidae
dogfish
Scyliorhinus canicula
Scyliorhinidae
Draughtsboard shark
Cephaloscyllium isabella
Centrophoridae
Dumb gulper shark
Centrophorus harrissoni
Scyliorhinidae
Dusky catshark
Bythaelurus incanus
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.