Do Sharks Have Bones? The ocean’s top predators, sharks, are mysterious. Do sharks have bones? This is one of the most fascinating questions regarding these amazing animals. Let’s discover the startling reality.
Origin of Sharks
Among Earth’s oldest fish species are sharks. Their history is extensive and goes back more than 400 million years.
They are members of the Chrondrichhyes class. Chimeras of stingrays are also included in this class. The cartilaginous skeletons of these creatures are what define them. They lack a swim bladder and have five to seven gills.
The Silurian epoch is when the first sharks were reported to have entered the waters. About 420 million years ago, something occurred. These early sharks were small and had scales covering their dorsal fins.
Sharks have developed into increasingly complex and varied creatures over time. This includes the variations in their diets and body types.
The mako shark and the great white shark are two significant evolutionary sharks.
Scientific Name of a Shark
Selachimorpha is the scientific name for these fish. These fishes are members of the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia. Chondrichthyes is the subject of their class.
The term “selachimorpha” is derived from the Ancient Greek word “sélakhos” and the suffix “-morpha.” “Cartilaginous fish” is what selakhos means.
The word can, however, be further decomposed to the root “sélas,” which signifies “light” or “glow.” The phosphorescent glow that some of these sharks possess is perhaps the reason for their pre-Greek origins.
Eight orders—the squatiniformes, pristiophoriformes, squaliformes, carcharhiniformes, lamniformes, orectolobiformes, heterodontiformes, and hexanchiformes—remain extant beneath the Selachimorpha superorder.
Despite the extinction of four orders of these fishes, more than 470 species remain in existence today.
Some Species of Shark
The scientific name for this superorder, which includes more than 500 extant shark species, is Selachimorpha. The fish manages to have quite a few variants even though four separate orders are extinct.
Anal fins are present in some of these animals but absent in others. Anything can distinguish itself from other species, from the length of its snout to the position of its lips.
Among the most well-known shark species are:
1. Great White Shark: With a maximum length of 20 feet, the Great White is the largest fish in the ocean and arguably the most well-known.
They can also live in the ocean for 30 years, swimming along the shore.
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2. Cookie-cutter Shark: Because it bites its prey with a cookie-shaped hole, the Cookie-cutter shark gets its name.
No matter where they are found, these sharks have the biggest teeth of any shark species. Throughout its life, it grows new teeth and loses its old ones, just like any other shark.
3. Ragged Tooth Shark: The unique characteristic of these sharks is that they swallow air. This species will retain the air in its stomach to allow it to remain in one spot, much like a mammal would.
Although they lose up to three teeth per day, their dagger-like teeth are arranged in two rows on both their top and bottom jaws.
If left alone, they are relatively harmless despite their fierce appearance.
4. Bull Shark: The bull shark prefers shallow waters and is primarily found in freshwater environments. They can travel where they need to go for food because they have unique glands that give them the salt their bodies require.
5. Tiger Shark: These sharks may reach a maximum length of eighteen feet, and their vertical stripes and spots make them quite easy to see.
Their jaws are powerful enough to shatter a sea turtle’s shell, and they can dwell in both shallow and deep waters.
6. Salmon Shark: Salmon sharks may seriously endanger humans. They usually inhabit the northern Pacific Ocean and are around 6.5 feet long, at their shortest.
They can control their stomach temperature, which is uncommon for sharks. They are regarded as some of the world’s swiftest sharks.
7. Nurse Shark: Humans are not in danger of these sharks unless they are agitated. A lot of people pass these sharks while swimming without even realizing they are there.
8. Horn Shark: The horn shark uses its powerful fins to propel itself down to the bottom. This shark is extremely light-sensitive. It lives nearly its whole life concealed in dark waters, shadows, or cracks.
9. Goblin Shark: One kind of shark that inhabits the deep sea is the goblin shark, sometimes called a living fossil. The large snout, projecting jaws, and semi-translucent skin of this unusual-looking shark make it easy to identify.
All three of the main oceans are home to goblin sharks. Many things about this critter are still unknown because they reside so far below the surface of the ocean.
Do Sharks Have Bones?
The skeleton, which is composed of bone, gives many creatures their strength and shape.
It would be reasonable to think that sharks must have robust bones given their status as one of the ocean’s most formidable predators and their amazing biting force.
But unlike Osteichthyes, which are bony fish, sharks belong to the class Chondrichthyes, which means “cartilage fish.”
Along with all sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish, they belong to the subclass Elasmobranchii.
Sharks’ skeletons are composed of cartilage rather than bone because they are cartilaginous fish. A shark’s body contains no shark bones at all!
Compared to bone, cartilage is a softer and more flexible substance. The cartilaginous skeleton of sharks is durable and performs the same function as a bone-based skeleton, despite this.
It shields their organs and provides their bodies with form and structure. Their bodies are composed of various cartilage strengths, with some regions having greater flexibility than others.
Calcified cartilage, which has been calcified by calcium salts and is much tougher, is used to build areas requiring additional protection.
Sharks’ skulls are composed of calcified cartilage to protect their brains. Their noses are composed of softer cartilage, but other elements of their jaws, like their jawbones, are composed of calcified cartilage.
Besides enjoying all the other advantages of a cartilaginous skeleton, the shark has the advantage of a harder skeleton where it is most needed.