Sharks Sharks Sharks & More Sharks

There are currently two live Orders and more than four thousand identified species of sharks and rays roaming in our oceans. Here are some of the more bizarre ones!The Brain Scoop has been discussing sharks for the past few days, but we haven't truly addressed the question: What is a shark?Of course, Emily, they are extremely dangerous apex predators with razor-sharp teeth.

They occasionally swim around with their mouths wide open as though they were about to scream, and their craniums occasionally resemble hardware equipment more than plausible skulls.They are unable to stop staring in amazement.Right? Why are sharks sharks?For the sake of our core learning, we're going to keep it rather simple in our explanation.Three fish species can still be found in our oceans today.Fish without jaws include the hagfish and lamprey.Bony fish have skeletons composed of bone, while cartilaginous fish, such as the chondrichthyes, have skeletons formed of cartilage.Within this cartilaginous order, there are two subclasses: the Chimeras, which contains the imaginatively named rat-, and the sharks.elephant- and rabbit-fishes.

Therefore, any member of the subclass Elasmobranchii, which has twelve orders of its own, is referred to as a "shark" in the taxonomic sense.Let's get going!
The most primitive class of sharks are called hexanchiformes,and many of them have ethereal appearances that feed sea serpent mythology.The frilled sharks in this group, which have an astonishing number of needle-like teeth arranged in rows and bodies that more closely resemble eels than sharks,are probably the ones you are most familiar with.The largest order and home to some of the most recognizable species are the ground sharks,or Carcharhiniformes.It includes animals like this hammerhead, as well as blue and tiger sharks.The winghead shark is an extreme version of the hammerhead species.(Eusphyra blochii), whose head is roughly half as large as the entire animal is long and has amazing binocular eyesight.

Another enormous order,Squaliformes,contains several peculiar creatures like sleeper sharks, which resemble manatees more than anything else.Like the Greenland shark, several of these sleeper sharks are found in deep,arctic seas.Trimethylamine N-oxide,or TMAO,is present in high proportions on its skin, making it exceedingly poisonous.

It prevents freezing by keeping the enzymes and proteins in its flesh stable.The Heterodontiformes, or bullhead sharks, come next.Despite being very little, these sharks have some of the most intriguing eggs in all of the animal kingdom.Long tendrils linked to a conical spiral on the egg of the rare crested bullhead shark are utilized to secure the egg to surrounding sponges or seaweed.

The shark at Port Jackson also has a pig-like face.Mackerel sharks belong to the Lamniform family. The great white shark is the most well-known member of this order, but it also includes its bizarre deep-sea relative, the goblin shark,which is remarkably adept at hyperextending its jaw when feeding.
This list also includes basking sharks,the second-largest fish in the world (after whale sharks).

Then there are the Orectolobiformes,which includes wobbegongs and carpet sharks.
The wobbegongs are very amazing since they resemble swimming shag rugs and have frilly beards and patterns on their spectacles to help them blend in.the commercial fishing industry poses a serious threat to these bottom-dwelling, nocturnal sharks.Their diminutive size meansThey frequently get ensnared in lobster traps and swept up in nets.Squatiniformes,also referred to as angel sharks,have a hybrid appearance between a shark and a ray.

Most often, they resemble the result of running a shark underneath a rolling pin.
They spend their time flat on the ocean floor,covered in a thin coating of dirt,and are masters of camouflage.waiting for a fish or squid to swim by unnoticed before striking.The sawfish,or Pristiformes, are more closely related to rays than the sawsharks,which are classified as Pristiophoriformes.they're all still sharks,though.