Portal:Sharks

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Welcome to the shark portal

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 (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the Batoidea (rays and kin). Some sources extend the term "shark" as an informal category including extinct members of Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts. Shark-like chondrichthyans such as Cladoselache and Doliodus first appeared in the Devonian Period (419–359 million years), though some fossilized chondrichthyan-like scales are as old as the Late Ordovician (458–444 million years ago). The earliest confirmed modern sharks (selachimorphs) are known from the Early Jurassic around 200 million years ago, with the oldest known member being Agaleus, though records of true sharks may extend back as far as the Permian.

Sharks range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species that is only 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (40 ft) in length. They are found in all seas and are common to depths up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). They generally do not live in freshwater, although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river sharks, which can be found in both seawater and freshwater, and the Ganges shark, which lives only in freshwater. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles that protects their skin from damage and parasites in addition to improving their fluid dynamics. They have numerous sets of replaceable teeth.

Several species are apex predators, which are organisms that are at the top of their food chain. Select examples include the bull shark, tiger shark, great white shark, mako sharks, thresher sharks, and hammerhead sharks. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

edit

Selected article - show another

Jaws 3-D (also known as Jaws 3) is an 1983 horror–thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid (pictured). It is the second sequel to 1975's Jaws.

As SeaWorld, a water park with underwater tunnels and lagoons, prepares for opening, a young great white shark infiltrates the park from the sea, seemingly attacking and killing water skiers and park employees. Once the baby shark is captured, it becomes apparent that it was the mother, a much larger shark who also entered the park, who was the real killer.

The film is notable for making use of 3-D film during the revived interest in the technology in the 1980s, amongst other horror films such as Friday the 13th Part III and Amityville 3-D. Cinema audiences could wear disposable cardboard polarized glasses to create the illusion that elements penetrate the screen. Several shots and sequences were designed to utilise the effect, such as the shark's destruction. Since the 3-D is ineffective in home viewing, the alternative title Jaws III is used for television broadcasts, VHS and DVD.

More selected articles

Read more...

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that the ampullae of Lorenzini enable sharks to sense electric fields?
... that "the Hurricane Shark is real"?
... that Hixxy and Sharkey created a schism in the UK rave music scene in 1995?
... that Timo Meier became the first player in San Jose Sharks franchise history to score five goals in one game when he was 25?
... that Alexis Sharkey's last Instagram post before her murder documented her travels to Tulum, Mexico?
... that since 2018, IKEA's stuffed toy shark Blåhaj has become a popular Internet meme and an icon of the online transgender community?

edit

Related portals

edit

WikiProjects

WikiProjects related to sharks:

edit

Selected picture - show another

Credit: Terry Goss

The great white shark is an exceptionally large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans.

More selected pictures

Read more...

edit

More Did you know? - show different entries

... that the zebra shark is striped when young and spotted when mature?
... that the blurred and smooth lanternsharks form a species group distinguished from the rest of their family by the shape and arrangement of their dermal denticles?
... that the leopard shark feeds on anchovies by swimming into their schools with its mouth open and waiting for them to accidentally enter?
... that relative to its body size, the horn shark has the strongest known bite of any shark?
... that the title for Peter Benchley's best-selling 1974 novel Jaws was not agreed until 20 minutes before it went into production?

More did you know facts

General images

The following are images from various shark-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Depiction of shark anatomy including eggs, pups, and the liver (from Shark anatomy)
Image 2BranchiostomaLanceolatum PioM (from Shark anatomy)
Image 3The gill slits of a whale shark flaring as it expels water from its pharyngeal cavity. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 4Lateral and cross section view of shark's red and white locomotor muscles (from Shark anatomy)
Image 5Distribution of highly sensitive ampullae of Lorenzini across the shark's head and rostrum. (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 6A sign at Pyramid Rock Beach in Hawaii warning about a shark sighting, 2015 (from Shark tourism)
Image 7The whale shark, the world's largest fish, is classified as Endangered.

Binding legislation and harvest management strategies... are urgently needed to address the disproportionate impact of fisheries on cartilaginous fishes.

– IUCN global study 2010

(from List of threatened sharks)
Image 8Sharks swimming outside shark-proof cage with people inside (from Shark cage diving)
Image 9This grey reef shark demonstrates countershading, with its darker dorsal surface and lighter ventral surface. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 10A dissected view of the unique four-chambered heart of the sharkChambers: Sinus Venosus, Atrium, Ventricle, Conus Ateriosus (from Shark anatomy)
Image 11Great white shark cages at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico (from Shark cage diving)
Image 12Postural configuration of a Gray Reef Shark as it displays agonistic behaviour, in a sculpture (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 13In a milestone decision in 2013, CITES prohibited international trade in the fins of the scalloped hammerhead (pictured) and four other shark species. (from List of threatened sharks)
Image 14Anti-cull protesters on Perth's Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia in 2014 (from Shark culling)
Image 15White shark cage diving near Gansbaai in South Africa (2015) (from Shark cage diving)
Image 16A 14-foot (4.3 m), 1,200-pound (540 kg) tiger shark caught in Kāne'ohe Bay, Oahu, in 1966
Image 17Shark Anatomy (50693674756) (from Shark anatomy)
Image 18The major features of sharks (from Shark anatomy)
Image 19Postural elements of the agonistic display of the Gray Reef Shark (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 20Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates) (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 21Dorsal fin diagram with landmarks labeled. (from Shark anatomy)
Image 22Clear agonistic behaviour observed in Great White Shark (from Shark agonistic display)
Image 23Shark cage diving (from Shark tourism)
Image 24Placoid Scale (from Shark anatomy)
Image 25Great white shark at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, August 2006. Animal estimated at 11–12 feet (3.3 to 3.6 m) in length, age unknown. (from Shark tourism)
Image 26A ventral dissection of a pregnant female dogshark exposing its internal gill slits and internal spiracles. (from Shark anatomy)

edit

Topics

Shark · Outline of sharks

Shark orders

Carcharhiniformes (groundsharks) · Cladoselachiformes (extinct) · Eugeneodontida (extinct) · Heterodontiformes (bullhead sharks) · Hexanchiformes (most primitive sharks) · Hybodontiformes (extinct) · Iniopterygia (extinct) · Lamniformes (mackerel sharks) · Orectolobiformes (carpet sharks and relatives) · Pristiophoriformes (sawsharks and relatives) · Squaliformes (gulper sharks, bramble sharks, lantern sharks, rough sharks, sleeper sharks, dogfish sharks and relatives) · Squatiniformes (angel sharks) · Symmoriida (extinct) · Xenacanthida (also known as Xenacantiformes, extinct)

Major species