Cartilaginous Fish
How do sharks support their shape
Sharks are different than humans in many ways. One way is in their skeleton, or how they support their shape. Sharks don't have bones. Instead, they have a skeleton made of rubbery cartilage. They also have a very detailed muscular system that holds them together and gives them maximum power.
What type of circulatory system do sharks have
A shark's heart has two chambers. Those chambers are called atrium and the ventricle. The shape of their heart is like an S, and it is located near their head. There blood is pumped to their heart through the bronchial arteries and it passes through the gills and the body tissue. Then it goes back to the heart.
Examples of Sharks
Examples of sharks are the basking shark, nurse shark, pacific angle, seven gill shark, cookiecutter, hammerhead, reef, whale, blue, goblin, mako, thresher, whitetip, carpet, greatwhite, megamouth, tiger, and wobbegong. Other cartilaginous fishes are rays and skates. Even though there are differences rays, skates, and sharks are basically built the same way. Therefore we are only sharing info about sharks.
What does it mean to be chordate
An animal that is a chordate is under the phylum chordate. If a creature has a back bone, known as a vertabrate, then they are already included under the group. Creatures do not have a back bone are also included in the phylum.
Unique
Sharks are very unique animals.
The oldest shark is a Pike-Dogfish Shark. On average it lives to be 100 years old.
The longest shark is a Whale Shark. It grows to be about 45 feet long.
Sharks typically have five to fifteen rows of teeth.
Sharks also have upper and lower eyelids but they do not blink. Instead, they use a third lid to protect their eyes when they bite prey.
Unlike other fish, sharks drink water because they are constantly losing water from their bodies.
As a defense mechanism, sharks will regurgitate their food to distract and repel their threats.
Reproducing and life cycle
How cartilaginous fish reproduce kind of varies. Some of them lay eggs and some of them are born alive. Some give birth to 60 or more pups in a litter. Most are fewer. The male has two organs called claspers, which release sperm into the female, where it fertilizes the eggs. After the fish are born their parents don't take care of them. Some might even eat their babies.
How they get oxygen
The cartilaginous fish get oxygen through their gills. They can't pump the water through their gills like other fish. They have to constantly swim to get water. This process is called ramjet ventilation. The gills provide a great amount of surface area for gas exchange, and are richly supplied with blood vessels.
Importance to humans and environment
Cartilaginous fish are important to humans because their meat is high in protein and low in fat. They are also important to both humans and the environment because they are the producers of shark oil. Shark oil is rich in vitamin a. It is also used in medicine, soap, cosmetics, and vitamins.
Habitat and food source
Cartilaginous fish live in the sea. They are most common in warm seas. There habitat varies from the different type. Some live in the depths of the seas, and some near the surface. Some live in coastal waters, and some far out at sea. Most of the cartilaginous fish are carnivores. What they eat ranges from small worms and mussels to large fast swimming fish and marine animals. The sharks also eat their own kind. There are fewer than 100 attacks on humans a year from cartilaginous fish.
Digestive System
Sharks do not chew their food so they need a strong digestive system. They have a very stretchy stomach to allow larger pieces of food to be digested. There is an acid in their stomach that starts the chemical breakdown of the food. If the food cannot be digested, the shark will force its stomach through its mouth to regurgitate and get rid of the food.
Excretory System
To pass wastes through their body, sharks use their kidneys to filter nitrogenous wastes out of their blood. They also pump salt in and out of their body fluids by using their gills. To get rid of urine, sharks pass a very small amount of watered down urine through their kidneys.
Sensory Structures
Sharks must rely on senses other than sight because there is very little light underwater. They use sounds, vibrations, and smell rather than sight. However, they use sight when they are close to their prey so they are able to see where to aim and bite.
Nervous System
The nervous system of a shark is much simpler than that of a human's. Sharks have a spinal chord and a medulla oblongata, which controls balance. They also have olfactory bulbs for smell, optic lobes for sight, and a cerebellum for movement.