Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The whale shark is a filter feeder – one of only three known filter-feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark). It feeds on plankton including copepods, krill, fish eggs, Christmas Island red crab larvae [62] and small nektonic life, such as small squid or fish.
Rhincodontidae. J. P. Müller and Henle, 1839. Genera. Rhincodon. † Palaeorhincodon. Rhincodontidae is a shark family which includes the whale shark, the sole extant member and the largest living fish. A single extinct genus, Palaeorhincodon, is known from the Paleocene as well.
Shark. † Synechodontiformes. Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha[1] (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the Batoidea (rays and kin).
A whale shark in the Maldives. Ipah Uid Lynn/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 Lynn's award-winning portfolio included this image of a whale shark surrounded by a school of fish in the Maldives.
Shark Anatomy (50693674756) The gill slits of a whale shark flaring as it expels water from its pharyngeal cavity. In the shark anatomy image, it depicts the beginning half of the shark, including the gills. The shark gills are especially important and were evolved from the chordate pharyngeal gill slits synapomorphy.
Chondrichthyes are aquatic vertebrates with paired fins, paired nares, placoid scales, conus arteriosus in the heart, and a lack of opercula and swim bladders. Within the infraphylum Gnathostomata, cartilaginous fishes are distinct from all other jawed vertebrates. The class is divided into two subclasses: Elasmobranchii (sharks, rays, skates ...
Carpet sharks derive their common name from the fact that many species have a mottled appearance with intricate patterns reminiscent of carpet designs. The patterning provides camouflage when the fish is lying on the seabed. [4] The largest carpet shark is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) which can grow to
Whale shark: The largest fish is the whale shark. It is a slow-moving, filter-feeding shark with a maximum published length of 20 m (66 ft) and a maximum weight of 34 tonnes (33 long tons; 37 short tons). Whale sharks can live up to 70 years [63] and are a vulnerable fish. Ocean sunfish: The ocean sunfish is the heaviest bony fish. It can weigh ...