Portal:Sharks

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Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the Batoidea (rays and kin). Some sources extend the term "shark" as an informal category including extinct members of Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts. Shark-like chondrichthyans such as Cladoselache and Doliodus first appeared in the Devonian Period (419–359 million years), though some fossilized chondrichthyan-like scales are as old as the Late Ordovician (458–444 million years ago). The oldest confirmed modern sharks (selachimorphs) are known from the Early Jurassic, about 200 million years ago, though records of true sharks may extend back as far as the Permian.

Sharks range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species that is only 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (40 ft) in length. They are found in all seas and are common to depths up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). They generally do not live in freshwater, although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river shark, which can be found in both seawater and freshwater. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles that protects their skin from damage and parasites in addition to improving their fluid dynamics. They have numerous sets of replaceable teeth.

Several species are apex predators, which are organisms that are at the top of their food chain. Select examples include the tiger shark, blue shark, great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark, and hammerhead shark. (Full article...)

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The common thresher, Alopias vulpinus, is a species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. The largest member of its family, this species may attain a length of 6 m (18 ft), half of which consists of the long upper lobe of its tail fin. The common thresher is often confused with the similar-looking pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus), from which it can be distinguished by the white band over its pectoral fins.

This shark is an active, fast-swimming predator that is capable of maintaining a higher body temperature than the surrounding sea water. Its long tail is used in a whip-like fashion to stun its prey, mostly small schooling forage fish. Like other mackerel sharks, it has an ovoviviparous mode of reproduction and gives birth to live young. The common thresher is commercially important in many parts of the world: the meat and fins are sold for human consumption, the skin is made into leather, and the liver oil is processed for vitamins. This species is also valued by recreational anglers as it is an exceptionally strong fighter on hook-and-line. As a result of increasing exploitation, the common thresher was assessed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2007.

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Hixxy and Sharkey created a schism in the UK rave music scene in 1995?
... that the ampullae of Lorenzini enable sharks to sense electric fields?
... that Timo Meier became the first player in San Jose Sharks franchise history to score five goals in one game when he was 25?
... that "the Hurricane Shark is real"?
... that Alexis Sharkey's last Instagram post before her murder documented her travels to Tulum, Mexico?
... that since 2018, IKEA's stuffed toy shark Blåhaj has become a popular Internet meme and an icon of the online transgender community?

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Credit: Zac Wolf

The whale shark is a slow moving filter feeding shark that is the largest living fish species. Four male and two female whale sharks are held in the Georgia Aquarium.

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... that no more than 250 mature northern river sharks are estimated to live in the wild?
... that the closure of the Tethys Sea 10–14 million years ago led to the sicklefin lemon shark and the lemon shark becoming separate species?
... that the spined pygmy shark, dwarf lanternshark and pygmy ribbontail catshark are candidates for being the smallest shark in the world, all maturing at under 20 cm (8 in) long?
... that most attacks on humans by the blacktip reef shark consist of people being bitten on their legs or feet while wading in shallow water?
... that the egg capsule of the crested bullhead shark has paired tendrils extending up to 2 m (6.6 ft), greater than the length of the adult shark?

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General images

The following are images from various shark-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A 14-foot (4.3 m), 1,200-pound (540 kg) tiger shark caught in Kāne'ohe Bay, Oahu, in 1966
Image 2A dissected view of the unique four-chambered heart of the sharkChambers: Sinus Venosus, Atrium, Ventricle, Conus Ateriosus (from Shark anatomy)
Image 3The major features of sharks (from Shark anatomy)
Image 4Shark cage diving (from Shark tourism)
Image 5Sharks swimming outside shark-proof cage with people inside (from Shark cage diving)
Image 6Distribution of highly sensitive ampullae of Lorenzini across the shark's head and rostrum. (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 7Anti-cull protesters on Perth's Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia in 2014 (from Shark culling)
Image 8The whale shark, the world's largest fish, is classified as Endangered.

Binding legislation and harvest management strategies... are urgently needed to address the disproportionate impact of fisheries on cartilaginous fishes.

– IUCN global study 2010

(from List of threatened sharks)
Image 9Shark Anatomy (50693674756) (from Shark anatomy)
Image 10Clear agonistic behaviour observed in Great White Shark (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 11A ventral dissection of a pregnant female dogshark exposing its internal gill slits and internal spiracles. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 12A sign at Pyramid Rock Beach in Hawaii warning about a shark sighting, 2015 (from Shark tourism)
Image 13Postural configuration of a Gray Reef Shark as it displays agonistic behaviour, in a sculpture (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 14Placoid Scale (from Shark anatomy)
Image 15Great white shark at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, August 2006. Animal estimated at 11–12 feet (3.3 to 3.6 m) in length, age unknown. (from Shark tourism)
Image 16Lateral and cross section view of shark's red and white locomotor muscles (from Shark anatomy)
Image 17Depiction of shark anatomy including eggs, pups, and the liver (from Shark anatomy)
Image 18Postural elements of the agonistic display of the Gray Reef Shark (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 19This grey reef shark demonstrates countershading, with its darker dorsal surface and lighter ventral surface. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 20Dorsal fin diagram with landmarks labeled. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 21Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates) (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 22Great white shark cages at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico (from Shark cage diving)
Image 23BranchiostomaLanceolatum PioM (from Shark anatomy)
Image 24In a milestone decision in 2013, CITES prohibited international trade in the fins of the scalloped hammerhead (pictured) and four other shark species. (from List of threatened sharks)
Image 25White shark cage diving near Gansbaai in South Africa (2015) (from Shark cage diving)
Image 26The gill slits of a whale shark flaring as it expels water from its pharyngeal cavity. (from Shark anatomy)

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Topics

Shark · Outline of sharks

Shark orders

Carcharhiniformes (groundsharks) · Cladoselachiformes (extinct) · Eugeneodontida (extinct) · Heterodontiformes (bullhead sharks) · Hexanchiformes (most primitive sharks) · Hybodontiformes (extinct) · Iniopterygia (extinct) · Lamniformes (mackerel sharks) · Orectolobiformes (carpet sharks and relatives) · Pristiophoriformes (sawsharks and relatives) · Squaliformes (gulper sharks, bramble sharks, lantern sharks, rough sharks, sleeper sharks, dogfish sharks and relatives) · Squatiniformes (angel sharks) · Symmoriida (extinct) · Xenacanthida (also known as Xenacantiformes, extinct)

Major species