
Generally speaking, fish like sharks
Shark
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 and are the sister group to the ra…
What is a fish with cartilage instead of bones?
Cartilaginous fish are fish that have a skeleton made of cartilage, rather than bone. All sharks, skates, and rays (e.g., the southern stingray) are cartilaginous fish. These fish all fall into the group of fish called the elasmobranchs.
What animals are cartilaginous in nature?
Animals and Nature. Cartilaginous fish are fish that have a skeleton made of cartilage, rather than bone. All sharks, skates, and rays (e.g., the southern stingray) are cartilaginous fish. These fish all fall into the group of fish called the elasmobranchs.
What does a cartilaginous fish eat?
A cartilaginous fish's diet varies by species. Sharks are important apex predators and may eat fish and marine mammals such as seals and whales. Rays and skates, who primarily live on the ocean bottom, will eat other bottom-dwelling creatures, including marine invertebrates such as crabs, clams, oysters, and shrimp.
Do cartilaginous fishes have a bladder?
Cartilaginous fishes do not have swimming bladders, so they have to maintain a swimming motion continuously even when they are sleeping, or else they will sink into the bottom. The swimming motion of rays is unique from the swimming motion of sharks as rears have a flattened body and rear spine.

What makes cartilaginous fishes unique?
In addition to the difference in their skeletons, cartilaginous fish have gills that open to the ocean through slits, rather than the bony covering that is present in bony fish. Different shark species may have different numbers of gill slits. Cartilaginous fish may also breathe through spiracles, rather than gills.
Why cartilage is important in shark?
Cartilage is strong but flexible, so it helps sharks be fast and maneuverable swimmers. That helps them catch prey and avoid predators. And sharks do have predators.
What is the main characteristic of a cartilaginous fish?
The cartilaginous fish are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
What are the economic benefits of Chondrichthyes?
Economic value of rays About 126,000 short tons (roughly 114,000,000 kilograms) of rays are marketed for food in various countries about the world, principally in Europe and Asia. By-products in local demand are skins of scaleless species for drumheads; those of scaly species are used for shagreen.
What is the advantages of having cartilage?
Cartilage gives shape, support, and structure to other body tissues. It also helps to cushion joints. Cartilage also smoothens the bone surfaces at the joints. It is essential for the development and growth of long bones.
Does shark cartilage help joints?
Shark cartilage is also used for arthritis, psoriasis, wound healing, damage to the retina of the eye due to diabetes, and inflammation of the intestine (enteritis). Some people apply shark cartilage directly to the skin for arthritis and psoriasis.
What are three adaptations found in cartilage fishes?
The Adaptations of a Cartilaginous Fish are: These fish have jaws which have tiny teeth with the upper row of teeth having a layer of enamel and the lower row of teeth is made up of bone tissue. The shark's dorsal fin is used to steer while swimming.
How do cartilaginous fish protect themselves?
The skin of cartilaginous fish is protected by a covering of abrasive placoid scales, called denticles.
What is a cartilaginous fish in biology?
Definition of cartilaginous fish : any of a class (Chondrichthyes) of fishes (such as a shark, ray, or chimaera) having the skeleton wholly or largely composed of cartilage — compare bony fish, jawless fish.
What is the economic importance of cartilaginous fish?
The cartilaginous sharks, skates and rays are also used as human food in several countries. They are eaten by poorer classes of people living along the sea coasts of India and Sri Lanka. The canned meat of sharks is sold commercially under the name of gray fish.
What are 5 important features of Chondrichthyes?
What are the important features of visual system of a person?...5 important features of Chondrichthyes:Presence of a cartilaginous endoskeleton.The mouth is placed ventrally.The notochord exists throughout life.The operculum does not cover the gills.The absence of an air bladder.
What are the economic important of fish?
Fishes generate a number of commercially valuable by-products. Fish oil, fish meat, fertiliser, fish glue and so on are these by-products. 4. In paintings, soaps, oils and medicines, these by-products are widely used.
Why are shark bones made of cartilage?
Cartilaginous skeleton Sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras (also know as rat fishes) all have cartilaginous skeletons. Cartilage is less dense than bone, allowing sharks to move quickly through the water without using too much energy.
What is the importance of cartilage in animal life?
Hyaline, or articular, cartilage covers the ends of bones to create a low-friction environment and cushion at the joint surface. When cartilage in the joint is healthy, it effectively allows fluid bending/straightening motions and protects the joint against weight-bearing stresses.
Do sharks have cartilage?
Even though sharks don't have bones, they still can fossilize. As most sharks age, they deposit calcium salts in their skeletal cartilage to strengthen it. The dried jaws of a shark appear and feel heavy and solid; much like bone.
What is the evolutionary significance of having cartilages for sharks instead of bony skeleton?
Modern sharks most likely evolved their lighter cartilaginous skeletons to become faster swimmers, to evade predators and swiftly catch their prey. The loss of bone in their skeleton is also supported by the fact the oldest and most basal of all jawed vertebrates, the placoderms, had heavy bony skeletons.
How do cartilaginous fish swim?
Cartilaginous fish need constant swimming for the water to pass through the gill slits and for them to breathe. For this reason, they’ve developed different swimming mechanisms: wave propulsion and appendage propulsion.
Why do fish float?
The high amount of liver lipids allows cartilaginous fish to float.
Why do chondrichthyans have evolved?
That’s why the evolutionary process has enhanced certain characteristics, such as their smell and mechanical perception, to ensure the capture of their prey.
Why is evolution important?
Evolution is a process that promotes the conservation and improvement of the characteristics that most benefit the species. For this reason, although a bone skeleton is more resistant, in some cases the cartilaginous skeleton is preferred for its flexibility and lightness. Sharks, rays, and chimeras are living examples of this.
Why are chondrichthyes important?
Chondrichthyes are, for the most part, predators. Due to this, they have an important ecological role, by controlling the populations of their prey. Its meat provides a large amount of protein, fat, and vitamin A, which is why they are used for human consumption. If you want to know more about these species, keep reading – you’ll surely be amazed.
How do squid use their tail?
In other words, they use their tail by flicking it from side to side to move forward, while their other fins keep it stable and straight.
What are the pelvic fins of a fish called?
These fins, also called claspers, are modified to be able to deposit the gametes (sperm) inside the female. That’s why only the males have them, but it’s a characteristic of the whole group.
What Do Cartilaginous Fish Eat?from thoughtco.com
Rays and skates, who primarily live on the ocean bottom, will eat other bottom-dwelling creatures, including marine invertebrates such as crabs, clams, oysters, and shrimp. Some huge cartilaginous fish, such as whale sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays, feed on tiny plankton .
How long do cartilaginous fish live?from thoughtco.com
Some cartilaginous fish may live for up to 50-100 years.
How Do Cartilaginous Fish Reproduce?from thoughtco.com
All cartilaginous fish reproduce using internal fertilization. The male uses "claspers" to grasp the female, and then he releases sperm to fertilize the female's oocytes. After that, reproduction can differ among sharks, skates, and rays. Sharks may lay eggs or give birth to live young, rays give birth to live young, and skates lay eggs that are deposited inside an egg case.
Why is cartilage important for sharks?from wildlifeinformer.com
Having a skeletal system made out of cartilage is advantageous because cartilage is typically very lightweight and flexible, while also incredibly strong. This allows for sharks and rays to swim quickly and for long distances while requiring less energy due to their lighter body plan.
What do blue sharks eat?from wildlifeinformer.com
Blue Sharks have a specialized diet of mainly squid but they will also eat anything from lobster to other small sharks.
What are the skeletons of fish made of?from wildlifeinformer.com
Bony fish, formally known as osteichthyes have skeletons that are made up primarily of bones. In this article we’re going to look at some examples of cartilaginous fish. Cartilaginous fish, formally known as chondrichthyes are structurally different as their skeletons are made up mostly of cartilage. Cartilage is a firm but flexible tissue in some ...
How big is a tiger shark?from wildlifeinformer.com
The Tiger Shark, named for its striped, tiger-like pattern is another large shark growing up to nearly 17 feet long in some cases. Tiger Sharks are absolutely not known for being picky eaters and items like license plates, garbage and even parts of a suit of armor have been found in the belly of these fish.
Where can cartilaginous fish be found?
The scientific name of the cartilaginous fish is Chondrichytes. Cartilaginous fish can be found in the water bodies across the world. They habitat in the shallow sandy bottom of the ocean and can live in open water. Bony fish can be found in waters all around the world, in fresh and saltwater.
What class of fish are cartilaginous?
Cartilaginous Fish (Chondrichthyes): Cartilaginous fishes belong to the Chondrichthyes class that includes the sharks, skates, and rays, and the other course includes chimeras. These are the vertebrates whose internal skeleton is made of cartilage, and these species contain no bones. Cartilaginous fishes have one or two dorsal fins, a caudal fin, ...
What is the difference between cartilaginous and bony fish?
The main difference between cartilaginous fish and bony fish is: The cartilaginous fish consists of cartilages, whereas the endoskeleton of bony fish consists of bones. Bony fish can found in both fresh and saltwater, but cartilaginous fish only inhabit the marine water.
How many pairs of gills does a cartilaginous fish have?
Cartilaginous fish have 5 to 7 pairs of gills; bony fishes have 4 pairs of gills. Swim bladders are present in bony fish and absent in cartilaginous. The excretory system of cartilaginous fish is urea, whereas, in bony fish, it is ammonia. The mouth of cartilaginous fish is ventral and the mouth of bony fish is anterior.
What are the different types of fish that live in the ocean?
They can live in the oceans from shallow to deep water in cold and warm temperatures. Species-. Cartilaginous fish species-. Cartilaginous fishes include sharks, rays, skates, and chimeras. There are nearly 600 species of rays and skates and around 500 species of sharks. Bony fish species-.
What are the small openings in the cartilaginous fish?
Spiracles are small openings that allow cartilaginous fishes to draw oxygen from the water from the top of their head, which also will enable them to breathe while resting at the bottom of the water. The class Chondrichthyes is divided into two sub classes-. Elasmobranchii- that includes sharks, rays, and skates.
How many species of bony fish are there?
Bony fishes are the most diverse vertebrates with over 20,000 species. Size-. The species of cartilaginous fish ranges from 6.3 inches to 50 feet whale shark. The species of bony fish can be below a half-inch to 26 feet.
Why do sharks have cartilaginous skeletons?
Modern sharks most likely evolved their lighter cartilaginous skeletons to become faster swimmers, to evade predators and swiftly catch their prey. The loss of bone in their skeleton is also supported by the fact the oldest and most basal of all jawed vertebrates, the placoderms, had heavy bony skeletons.
How long did it take for a Gogo shark to develop cartilage?
Top, the Gogo shark specimen in rock as it was found. Below, after three weeks of dilute acetic acid preparation the large lower jaw cartilages are seen emerging in perfect 3D form. John Long, Author provided
Why are sharks rubbery?
But because their skeletons are made of cartilage much of their early fossil record is poor. Cartilage is a rubbery tissue that forms the framework for bones to ossify (harden) upon. It’s why babies have rubbery legs when they begin to walk, ...
What is the fossil record of sharks based on?
Cartilage doesn’t preserve as well as bones, so the early shark fossil records are based mostly on isolated scales and teeth.
Where did the fossil shark come from?
But this idea has just been challenged due to the discovery, announced today in the journal PLOS One, of a 380-million-year-old fossil shark from Western Australia named Gogoselachus lynbeazleyae that shows remnant bone cells present in its cartilaginous skeleton.
What is the most significant thing about the find?
Yet the most significant thing about the find was in the detail of its cartilage microstructure. We analysed the specimen using thin-sections, micro-CT scanning and scannning electron microscopy.
Do sharks have bony bones?
This poor fossil record is partly responsible for scientists thinking that sharks must represent a primitive condition in vertebrate evolution compared to all other fishes and land animals (tetrapods) which have a well-ossified bony skeleton.

Types and Characteristics of Cartilaginous Fish
How Do Cartilaginous Fish Swim?
- Cartilaginous fish need constant swimming for the water to pass through the gill slitsand for them to breathe. For this reason, they’ve developed different swimming mechanisms: wave propulsion and appendage propulsion. The first mechanism refers to the use of its tail, with oscillating movements, which allow the fish to move forward. It’s used by m...
Reproduction of Cartilaginous Fish
- Chondrichthyans have an internal fertilization process, but they’re capable of presenting all 3 types of reproduction:viviparous, oviparous and ovoviviparous. We’ll tell you about each of these strategies below.
Cartilaginous Fish Habitat
- These fish can have both marine and freshwater habitats. They’re usually found in coral reefs in the tropics, deep ocean trenches, in rivers, or in areas where rivers converge with the sea (estuaries). Although they present ancestral and conserved characteristics, the chondrichthyans have had to adapt to their environment. That’s why the evolutionary process has enhanced certa…