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The thresher sharks have an extreme example of this tail in which the upper lobe has evolved into a weapon for stunning prey. Bottom-dwelling sharks such as catsharks and carpet sharks have tails with long upper lobes and virtually no lower lobe. The upper lobe is held at a very low angle, which sacrifices speed for maneuverability.
The bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), also called a bonnet shark or shovelhead, [3] is a small member of the hammerhead shark genus Sphyrna, and part of the family Sphyrnidae.It is an abundant species in the littoral zone of the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, is the only shark species known to display sexual dimorphism in the morphology of the head, and is the only shark species known to be ...
This gives these areas much of the same strength found in the bony tissue found in other animals. Generally sharks have only one layer of tesserae, but the jaws of large specimens, such as the bull shark, tiger shark, and the great white shark, have two to three layers or more, depending on
The shape of the hammerhead shark's head may enhance olfaction by spacing the nostrils further apart. Sharks have keen olfactory senses, located in the short duct (which is not fused, unlike bony fish) between the anterior and posterior nasal openings, with some species able to detect as little as one part per million of blood in seawater. [61]
Many sharks can contract and dilate their pupils, like humans, something no teleost fish can do. Sharks have eyelids, but they do not blink because the surrounding water cleans their eyes. To protect their eyes some species have nictitating membranes. This membrane covers the eyes while hunting and when the shark is being attacked.
Females have two functional uteri and give birth to litters of 6 to 12 pups. [3] [23] A case has been recorded of a female carrying 9 embryos 12.4–13.7 cm (4.9–5.4 in) long; though they were close to the birth size, they still had well-developed yolk sacs, suggesting a slow rate of yolk absorption and a long gestation period.
Carpet sharks are sharks classified in the order Orectolobiformes / ɒ r ɛ k ˈ t ɒ l ə b ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /.Sometimes the common name "carpet shark" (named so because many species resemble ornately patterned carpets) is used interchangeably with "wobbegong", which is the common name of sharks in the family Orectolobidae.
Later authors have regarded the genus Eulamia as a synonym of Carcharhinus. The specific epithet altimus is derived from the Latin altus ("deep"), and refers to the shark's deepwater habits. The type specimen is an immature female 1.3 m (4.3 ft) long, caught off Cosgrove Reef in the Florida Keys on April 2, 1947.