Chondrichthyes An Overview

Chondrichthyes Are jawed cartilaginous fish composed of sharks, skates, and rays They have a skeleton made up of cartilage and do not have any bones They have existed on earth for over 400 million years They are mostly ectothermic – have body temperatures similar to the temperature of the water around them

Chondricthyes Organisms Sharks and Ratfishes Shark (top) Ratfish (bottom) Skates and Rays Skate( top) Ray (bottom)

SHARKS, SKATES, AND RAYS What do you know about them? How have they been able to survive on Earth for so very long when so many other organisms have perished? Are they more beneficial or more harmful to humans?

Sharks These fishes have teeth-like scales called denticles. Their mouth is usually located ventrally and they were the first fish to have paired fins (pectoral & pelvic fins) for more efficient swimming. They have 5 to 7 gill slits per side and no swim bladder. The largest shark, the whale shark is a plankton feeder.

Shark Adaptations for Survival mbiotic-strategies/video-segments/1496/ mbiotic-strategies/video-segments/1496/ YE

Shark Internal Anatomy No Bones

Shark External Anatomy

Fusiform Body Shape that reduces frictional drag

How a Shark Swims c4w c4w How a shark maintains buoyancy guide-to-sharks-how-sharks-swim.html guide-to-sharks-how-sharks-swim.html

Denticles

Shark Senses Sound Smell Sight Electromagnetic Fields Touch

Shark Hearing Sound Travels 5X faster in water than air and quite far. Sharks have inner ears but no outer ears. They are attracted most by low-pitched sounds. Sharks cannot make any noises, they have no vocal cords. Bursts of sound, like that made by injured fish are particularly attractive. This is also the sound made by humans splashing in the water.

Shark Sense of Smell Will then help the shark to move closer to the prey. Through its nares (nostrils), sharks can detect one part of blood in many millions of parts of water. (One part per million is equivalent to you taking one large mouthful of food compared to all the large mouthfuls you will take in a lifetime). the-sharks-shark-smell.html the-sharks-shark-smell.html

Shark Breathe Through Openings Called Nares (nostrils)

Sharks Sense of Sight They can see extremely well in dim light. While bony fishes cannot dilate their irises, sharks can to allow more or less light to reach their retinas. Some sharks have a third eyelid called the “nictitating membrane” that can move to cover the eye completely to protect it during feeding. guide-the-sharks-vibrations-and-shark- vision.html guide-the-sharks-vibrations-and-shark- vision.html

Sharks Senses QYk QYk

Sharks Eye and Eyelids

Sharks Sense of Electromagnetic Fields Produced by the prey can be detected by sharks. The “Ampullae of Lorenzini”, electro-receptors, located on the snout of the shark, allows them to detect weak electrical currents produced by a prey's gill movement.

Sharks detect weak electromagnetic Fields using the Ampullae of Lorenzini

Shark Touch and Taste Sharks can feel touch with their skin Sharks can taste their prey with their tongue

Sharks Detect Vibrations and changes in water pressure with their Lateral line

How Sharks Use Their Senses

60 Minutes Swimming with Sharks /anderson-cooper- swimming-with-sharks/?tag=mncol;lst; /anderson-cooper- swimming-with-sharks/?tag=mncol;lst;1

Shark Mating Mating behaviour in sharks can be very complex and evidence suggests that there is some degree of mate selection within certain species. Sexes often segregate, and only come together to mate. Occasionally congregations form in mating behavior. For instance, basking sharks have been seen forming mating circles like the one seen in this picture. The exact purpose of this behavior is not known however it is clear that it related to mating.

Shark Mating and Reproduction Mating ultimate-guide-to-sharks-shark-mating- video.htm ultimate-guide-to-sharks-shark-mating- video.htm ng-sharks-shanghai-aquarium/JD1_hVJ4ZoM/ ng-sharks-shanghai-aquarium/JD1_hVJ4ZoM/ Reproduction shark-reproduction.html shark-reproduction.html

Shark Birth and Maturation guide-the-sharks-shark-birth-and- maturation.html guide-the-sharks-shark-birth-and- maturation.html

Female Shark

Male Shark

Male and Female Shark

SHARK REPRODUCTION Oviparous – lay eggs and spawn (ex. White Spotted Bamboo Shark) Viviparous – give birth to live young who feed from a placenta (ex. Lemon Shark) Ovoviviparous – eggs are fertilized and develop with a yolk sac inside the mother (ex. Grey Nurse Shark)

White Spotted Bamboo Shark

Lemon Shark

Grey Nurse Shark

Grey Nurse Mating 06/02/0213_060213_shark_video.html 06/02/0213_060213_shark_video.html

PARTHENOGENESIS IN SHARKS Give birth to young without mating. An egg develops without fertilization by sperm. One of the mother’s polar bodies fuses with an ovum during meiosis. Was observed in a Bonnethead shark in captivity.

SHARK INTELLIGENCE Are sharks intelligent? What would indicate that an organism has intelligence? G0&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SPA 15DA8E609E G0&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SPA 15DA8E609E uJU&feature=relmfu uJU&feature=relmfu

SHARK INTELLIGENCE EVIDENCE – Expressing Curiosity – examining people and objects for no apparent reason (ex. Divers, Square Shapes) (Recognizing certain divers and boats) – Recognizing the front from the back of a person or object (ex. Circling round and spending more time observing the front from the back) Almost always attack from back Gently mauling a diver without attacking

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Sharks were thought to be asocial living their lives alone with little interest in socializing except for mating Thought to lack the cognitive ability for social behavior NEW Evidence?

EVIDENCE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR GREAT WHITE sharks worked together pulling a Pygmy right Whale out to sea so it could float and be eaten more easily. Some swam away without feeding Others were shown a square and a seal shape and spent more time examining the square shape

EVIDENCE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Great Whites have been seen spending time together in pairs of same and age peers (2 females show up together each year off San Francisco’s coast

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Communicate using body language – Arched bodies and gaping mouths (go away) – Individual timed turns between to sharks – Maintaining individual space – Tail slapping – Breaching to attract a mate

Shark Self Defense and Shark Attack How do sharks defend themselves or avoid predation?

SELF DEFENSE a. The natural enemies of sharks include other sharks, killer whales and the most dangerous to sharks, by far, are humans b. Gill nets kill sharks and mammals when the intended catch is actually fish. Sharks can drown if they do not have water running over their gills.

Gill Net

Thresher Shark caught in gill net

Lemon Shark Caught in Gill Net

Megaladon kTE&feature=related kTE&feature=related

SELF DEFENSE c. Sharks have a protective coloration to hide them on the bottom or in reefs and exhibit counter-shading to hid them while free swimming in the open ocean. d. The bamboo shark can come out of the water for hours to follow prey or avoid predators.

Shark Attack tMTAM&feature=relmfu tMTAM&feature=relmfu

SHARK ATTACK a. A shark may attack a rogue shark, or people swimming who sound like an injured fish and may be mistaken for natural prey. b. Many attacks involve spear fishers: sharks are attracted to fluttering movements of an injured fish c. A shark bothered by a swimmer or diver may attack. d. 99% of the cases in which a rescuer goes to the aid of a victim they are not attacked.

What sharks are deadliest or most harmful to Humans? Why? 1. Bull Shark 2. Great White 3. Tiger Shark 4. White Tip Oceanic Shark 5. Shortfin Mako Shark 6. Grey Reef Shark 7. Sand Tiger Shark 8. Hammerhead Shark 9. Blue Shark 10. Lemon Shark

What sharks are the most beneficial to Humans? How? 1. All Apex Predator Sharks 2. Mako Sharks 3. Nurse Sharks

Spear Fishing

SHARK ATTACK e. There is a statistical preference of sharks for males over females among swimmers; 1 female is attacked for every 9 males. Less than 1/2% of attacks on scuba divers were on women (1 out of 244) and she was spear fishing. This may be a reaction to a territorial intruder with movement of men more threatening than women.

Shark Attack

SHARK ATTACK f. 80% of attacks involve 1 or 2 bites; no intent to kill? Maybe a human doesn't react like other prey when bitten and it looses interest. We certainly do not taste like other prey. g. When an attack does occur it is likely to be a single bite and not an attempt to consume the human. Death may occur due to blood loss. Humans do not taste like other natural shark food and are not desirable to a healthy shark.

SHARK ATTACK h. Of the approximately 360 plus known species of shark, of which about 250 species are now alive, only about 25 have ever been identified in a human attack for one reason or another. The most dangerous are the white, mako, tiger and bull sharks.

SHARK ATTACK I. The majority of attacks have occurred in temperate waters within 67m/200’ of shore and in a depth of 1.5m/5’ of water.

To avoid an attack by a shark there are a few things to know. DO NOT 1. Dive or swim alone. 2. Dive or swim at night 3. Keep captured fish near you in the water. 4. Spear fish over a prolonged time in one area. 5. Enter the water if you have a cut. 6. Panic and splash at the surface if you see a shark. 7. DO get out of the water as fast and quietly as possible.

What about skates and rays?

What would a shark or ray say about humans if interviewed?

How to tell the difference between a skate and a ray.

Location of Gill Slits on a Skate or Ray

Reproduction in a Skate

Manta Ray