Carcharhinidae
grey reef shark
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
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.
grey reef shark
Carcharhinidae
grey sharpnose shark
Rhizoprionodon oligolinx
Pentanchidae
Gulf catshark
Asymbolus vincenti
Squalidae
gulf dogfish
Squalus clarkae
Triakidae
Gulf smoothhound
Mustelus sinusmexicanus
Orectolobidae
gulf wobbegong
Orectolobus halei
Centrophoridae
gulper shark
Centrophorus granulosus
Triakidae
Gummy shark
Mustelus antarcticus
Hemiscylliidae
Halmahera Epaulette Shark
Hemiscyllium halmahera
Carcharhinidae
hardnose shark
Carcharhinus macloti
Hemiscylliidae
Hasselt's bamboo shark
Chiloscyllium hasseltii
Etmopteridae
Hawaiian lanternshark
Etmopterus villosus
Squalidae
Hawaiian spurdog
Squalus hawaiiensis
Squatinidae
Hidden angel shark
Squatina occulta
Etmopteridae
Highfin dogfish
Centroscyllium excelsum
Pentanchidae
Hoary catshark
Apristurus canutus
Cetorhinidae
homer
Cetorhinus maximus
Pentanchidae
Honeycomb Izak
Holohalaelurus favus
Hemiscylliidae
hooded carpet shark
Hemiscyllium strahani
Etmopteridae
hooktooth dogfish
Aculeola nigra
Hemigaleidae
Hooktooth shark
Chaenogaleus macrostoma
Heterodontidae
horn shark
Heterodontus francisci
Carcharhinidae
Human’s whaler shark
Carcharhinus humani
Pentanchidae
Humpback cat shark
Apristurus gibbosus
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.