Marine Life Series: Anatomy of a Shark

Marine Life Series

Anatomy of a Shark

Conceptual Framework

Marine life in general and the shark in particular are interesting topics of study. The diversity among sharks is very great but in general sharks are cold-blooded vertebrates that live in water and have a respiratory system that is based on gills instead of lungs. This learning system uses diagrams of a dogfish shark since it is one of the most common types of shark, it is important for the user to keep in mind that there is not one type of shark that can adequately represent the thousands of different types of shark found in the earth's oceans.

One important component that is necessary to develop a complete understanding of the Animal Kingdom is to study vertebrates. In most biology courses students learn the basic characteristics of the major groups of organisms. Sharks are vertebrates and have anatomical parts that are common to all vertebrates. Sharks are specially adapted for survival in water. They are able to breathe through gills which are amazing organs that have the ability to remove oxygen from water. The general shape of the shark's body is particularly well suited for locomotion through water. Special adaptations enable the shark to survive. The shark is a very successful predator that dominates many other types of fish.

Fossil records preserved in rock that is over 500 million years old provide evidence of early sharks. Sharks are members of the class Chondrichthyes (which means cartilaginous fish). Other members of this class are skates, rays and ratfishes. One characteristic common in all members of this group is the absence of bones and a skeleton that is mostly composed of cartilage.

The study of the anatomy of a shark is an important topic in biology because the shark is one of the most primitive vertebrates. Some aspects of the shark's anatomy are very similar to other vertebrates, other aspects make sharks unique. For example, the body of a shark is covered with denticles, sharp teeth-like projections. This is very different from most of the other vertebrates.

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