Shark

ID points

• Spindle-shaped body; upper tail lobe clearly longer than the lower
• 5-7 bare gill slits on the side, with no gill cover
• Tall triangular dorsal fin; skin rough as sandpaper

Basics

Family

Selachimorpha

Length

1.0–4.0 m

Depth

0-200 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Open ocean · Deep sea

Distribution

All oceans worldwide, from shallow water to the deep sea

Habitat

All oceans, shallow water to deep sea

Diet

Fish, cephalopods, marine mammals

Easily confused with

SailfishDorsal fin opens like a tall sail, higher than the body itselfThresher SharkUpper tail lobe extremely long, almost as long as the bodyBlue SharkIndigo blue back and pure white belly with a sharp dividing line

Fun fact

Sharks have been on this planet for about 450 million years, which is 4.5 million centuries, and roughly two hundred million years before the first dinosaurs. They have no swim bladder, so they must keep moving to hold their place in the water. Over a lifetime a shark works through tens of thousands of teeth, with new ones coming forwards like a production line.