What is the description of shark?

Description. Sharks are fishes and most have the typical fusiform body shape. Like other fishes, sharks are ectothermic (cold-blooded), live in water, have fins, and breathe with gills. However, sharks differ from Osteichthyes fish. One difference is that a shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage instead of bone.

What does a shark look like facts for kids?

A shark does not have a single bone in it body, instead it has a skeleton made up of cartilage. A shark has two dorsal fins on its back, one beneath its body, which is called the pectoral fin (all species do not have that) and the tail which is the caudal fin. Sharks are strong, healthy creatures.

What makes a shark look like a shark?

Most are identifiable by their darker upper sides that blend with the water above and their white or lighter-colored undersides that blend with the sea below, in addition to their fins, side gill slits and rows of sharp teeth. Shark skeletons are composed of cartilage, a light and flexible tissue.

What does the underside of a great white shark look like?

The upper body has a slate-gray shade while it is white from the underside. This pattern of dark-colored upper side and light-colored lower side is known as countershading. This way the shark becomes invisible when seen from below because the lighter underside mingles with the sun-lit surrounding waters.

What kind of shark looks like a tiger?

Tiger sharks can be as long as 16 feet and are characterized by their body’s dark stripes that resemble the pattern found on a tiger. The blue shark has an elongated and slender body and long pectoral fins. Its top is dark blue, its sides are a lighter blue, and its underside is white.

What kind of fin does a shark have?

However, a shark has a triangular dorsal fin attached to its back; when this dorsal fin shows above the water, it is a dead giveaway that danger lurks. Sharks are very beautiful, because they move with innate grace, and their bodies are very streamlined.

What do sharks look like?

18 Answers. Sharks are quite fascinating to look at, as their bodies have a sleek tubular shape, sort of like a submarine crossed with a sleek silver missile.

What are the qualities of a shark?

General characteristics of sharks include: five to seven external gill slits on each side of the head (with no protective gill cover as in bony fishes); skin covered with placoid scales known as denticles; teeth that are regularly shed and replaced; an upper jaw that is not firmly attached to the skull;

What is the rarest shark species?

The Northern River Shark (Glyphis garricki) is one of the rarest species of shark in the world. It is known only from a small number of locations in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea .

What are facts about sharks?

Sharks whip their prey around back and forth in order to break off large chunks of meat. Sharks have the thickest skin of any animal species. Some sharks have skin that is 6 inches thick. Sharks have the largest brains of any fish.