Knowing Sharks

Galapagos shark
( from www.mbayaq.org )
Sharks are the animal which belong to the taxonomic class Chondrichthyes , or
cartilaginous fishes . This means these fishes have a very simple internal skeleton formed
from flexible cartilage , they have no true bone in their skeleton , fins and scales . However ,
sharks have a true jaw , both upper and lower , and they also have nostrils below their head .
Chondrichthyan fishes are divided into two main groups . The largest is the subclass
Elasmobranchii , which are sharks , rays and sawfishes . Another is aubclass Holocephali
contains the chimeras , which are much smaller than the elasmobranchs .
When people talk about sharks , sharks mean a fish that its body looks like jet plane or
space shuttles with 5-6 paired gill openings on the side of its head . Any how , International
Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks ( IPOA-Sharks ) have given
much more profound meaning of the word “sharks” . Sharks include every kind of
cartilaginous fishes , but in this book , sharks do not include rays , sawfishes , and chimeras .
Nowadays , over 440 species of sharks are discovered . Almost live in the sea . Sharks
have various sizes , from Lantern shark , which adult can grows to only 20 cm long , to whale
shark , which can grow biggest 21 m long . Also , sharks food are valuable , too . Basking
shark , feeds only on small plankton . Grey Bamboo sharks , feed itself on ground animals
like prawns , crabs , and octopuses . Great White Sharks , survive by eating big animals such
as seals , sea lions and tunas . Some sharks like Tigers , eat every kind of food from jellyfish
to sea turtles .
Sharks can be found all over the world , both in shallow and deep waters , from tropical to
cooler waters . Each kind of sharks has their own habitat , depends on their food , their shape
and their ways of life .