Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Most sharks have heterocercal caudal fins, meaning that the backbone extends into the (usually longer) upper lobe. The shape of the caudal fin reflects the shark's lifestyle, and can be broadly divided into five categories: Fast-swimming sharks of open waters, such as the mackerel sharks, have crescent-shaped tails with upper and lower lobes of ...
The caudal fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape. Other common names include bone shark, elephant shark, sailfish, and sunfish. In Orkney, it is called hoe-mother (contracted homer), meaning "the mother of the picked dogfish". [5] The basking shark is a cosmopolitan migratory species found in
As with most fish, the tails of sharks provide thrust, making speed and acceleration dependent on tail shape. Caudal fin shapes vary considerably between shark species, due to their evolution in separate environments. Sharks possess a heterocercal caudal fin in which the dorsal portion is usually noticeably larger than the ventral portion.
Common thresher. The common thresher (Alopias vulpinus), also known as Atlantic thresher, is the largest species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, reaching some 6 m (20 ft) in length. About half of its length consists of the elongated upper lobe of its caudal fin. With a streamlined body, short pointed snout, and modestly sized eyes, the ...
Description. Leopard epaulette sharks are named for the brilliant leopard-like pattern covering their body. The leopard epaulette shark has an elongated body, over half of which is comprised by the slender caudal peduncle. Its dorsal fin and anal fin is set very far back on an extremely long, thick tail.
A small species usually under 1 m (3.3 ft) long, the epaulette shark has a slender body with a short head and broad, paddle-shaped paired fins. The caudal peduncle (to which the tail fin is attached) comprises over half the shark's length. Adults are light brown above, with scattered darker spots and indistinct saddles.
Reaching only 42–56 cm (16.5–22 in) in length, the cookiecutter shark has a long, cylindrical body with a short, blunt snout, large eyes, two tiny spineless dorsal fins, and a large caudal fin. It is dark brown, with light-emitting photophores covering its underside except for a dark "collar" around its throat and gill slits.
E. naucrates is a medium-sized fish which can grow up to 110 cm (43 in) length. [ 9 ] Its body is elongated and streamlined, and its lower jaw is clearly prognathic (it projects forward well beyond the upper jaw). [ 3 ] The jaws, vomer and tongue have villiform teeth. [ 3 ] The main distinctive feature to distinguish from other fishes is the ...