Species Guide
Sharks
Cartilaginous fish that have patrolled the oceans for more than 400 million years, filling roles from apex predator to filter feeder.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Super Order
- Selachimorpha
- Species
- 360–440 species
- At Risk
- ~50 species Vulnerable+
Quick Facts
- Smallest
- Dwarf Lanternshark: 6.5 in
- Largest
- Whale Shark: 39 ft
- Diet
- Carnivore / filter feeder
- Cruise Speed
- ~5 mph (bursts 30+ mph)
- Weekly Intake
- 1–10% of body weight
- First Appeared
- 420+ million years ago
Habitat & Range
Sharks are adapted to a wide range of aquatic habitats — shallow coastal waters, the deep ocean floor, the open ocean, and even, in a few species, fresh water. With an estimated 360–440 species worldwide, sharks range in size from the 6.5-inch dwarf lanternshark to the 39-foot whale shark.
Diet & Senses
Sharks are opportunistic feeders whose diet varies by species, taking fish, crustaceans, mollusks, marine mammals, and other sharks — eating roughly 1–10% of their body weight per week. They have an exceptional sense of smell and hearing, taste buds that let them reject unfamiliar food, and eyesight that varies widely across species. A full cartilaginous skeleton and highly streamlined body let them breathe through five to seven gill slits.
Did You Know?
Behavior & Reproduction
Sharks are thought not to vocalize, communicating instead through body language. Some species hunt in packs exceeding 100 animals, while others hunt alone; only some species migrate, over distances that vary widely. Sharks give birth three ways depending on species: most are ovoviviparous (eggs hatch inside the mother), some are oviparous (eggs laid in water), and others are viviparous, with a placental link much like mammals. Cruising speed averages around 5 mph, with bursts of more than 30 mph.
Conservation Status
Of the world's roughly 360–440 shark species, about 50 are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered — overfishing, much of it for shark fin, is the leading threat, compounded by slow reproduction rates.
Notable Species
- Great White Shark
- Carcharodon carcharias — apex predator, coastal and offshore waters
- Whale Shark
- Rhincodon typus — largest fish in the world, filter feeder
- Hammerhead Shark
- Family Sphyrnidae — distinctive wide, flattened head
- Tiger Shark
- Galeocerdo cuvier — broad diet, tropical and temperate waters
- Nurse Shark
- Ginglymostoma cirratum — slow-moving, bottom-dwelling
- Dwarf Lanternshark
- Etmopterus perryi — smallest known shark species
Want to meet the rest of the family? Browse the full Species Directory →
