Triakidae
flapnose houndshark
Scylliogaleus quecketti
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.
flapnose houndshark
Pentanchidae
Flathead catshark
Apristurus macrorhynchus
Orectolobidae
floral banded wobbegong
Orectolobus floridus
Triakidae
Florida smoothhound
Mustelus norrisi
Alopiidae
fox shark
Alopias pelagicus
Hemiscylliidae
freckled carpet shark
Hemiscyllium freycineti
Scyliorhinidae
Freckled catshark
Scyliorhinus haeckelii
Chlamydoselachidae
frill shark
Chlamydoselachus anguineus
Etmopteridae
Fringefin lanternshark
Etmopterus schultzi
Scyliorhinidae
Galápagos catshark
Bythaelurus giddingsi
Carcharhinidae
Ganges shark
Glyphis gangeticus
Pentanchidae
Gecko catshark
Galeus eastmani
Pentanchidae
ghost catshark
Apristurus manis
Parascylliidae
ginger carpetshark
Parascyllium sparsimaculatum
Mitsukurinidae
goblin shark
Mitsukurina owstoni
Proscylliidae
graceful catshark
Proscyllium habereri
Carcharhinidae
graceful shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides
Etmopteridae
Granular dogfish
Centroscyllium granulatum
Triakidae
gray smoothhound
Mustelus californicus
Sphyrnidae
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
Lamnidae
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
Etmopteridae
Green lanternshark
Etmopterus virens
Squalidae
Greeneye spurdog
Squalus chloroculus
Somniosidae
Greenland shark
Somniosus microcephalus
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.