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The first shark-like chondrichthyans appeared in the oceans 400 million years ago, [1] developing into the crown group of sharks by the Early Jurassic. [2] Listed below are extant species of shark. Sharks are spread across 512 described and 23 undescribed species in eight orders. The families and genera within the orders are listed in ...
The pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus) is a species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae; this group of sharks is characterized by the greatly elongated upper lobes of their caudal fins. The pelagic thresher occurs in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans , usually far from shore, but occasionally entering ...
The thresher shark mainly feeds on schooling pelagic fish such as bluefish, juvenile tuna and mackerel, which they are known to follow into shallow waters, as well as squid and cuttlefish. [16] Crustaceans and occasionally seabirds are also eaten. The thresher shark stuns its prey by using its elongated tail as a whipping weapon.
The marine pelagic environment is the largest aquatic habitat on Earth, occupying 1,370 million cubic kilometres (330 million cubic miles), and is the habitat for 11% of known fish species. The oceans have a mean depth of 4,000 metres (2.5 miles). About 98% of the total water volume is below 100 metres (330 ft), and 75% is below 1,000 metres ...
In most oviparous shark species, an egg case with the consistency of leather protects the developing embryo(s). These cases may be corkscrewed into crevices for protection. The egg case is commonly called a mermaid's purse. Oviparous sharks include the horn shark, catshark, Port Jackson shark, and swellshark. [80] [82]
4 Pelagic species. 5 Reef-associated species. 6 See also. ... There are 44 species of shark found in the Red Sea. [1] This list is not exhaustive. Bathydemersal species
Rising demands for shark products has increased pressure on shark fisheries, but little monitoring or management occurs of most fisheries. [7] Major declines in shark stocks have been recorded over the past few decades; some species had declined over 90% and population declines of 70% were not unusual by 1998. [8]
The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is a species of deepwater shark. Rarely seen by humans, it measures around 5.2 m (17 ft) long and is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks alongside the relatively larger whale shark and basking shark .