Cartilaginous Fishes

Cartilaginous fishes are fishes whose body is supported by a skeleton that consists of cartilage, not bone. In this article, we'll explore basic facts about cartilaginous fishes including how they are classified, what they eat, where they live and the characteristics that make them different from other fish groups.

The great white shark, also known as the white shark or white pointer, is a powerful swimmer and efficient predator that inhabits temperate and subtropical regions of the world's oceans.

A satellite tracking study conducted by marine biologist Ramon Bonfil has for the first time revealed a transoceanic journey of a great white shark from South Africa to Australia and back.

Hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that include nine species. Hammerheads are so named for the wide, flattened hammer shape of their head.

Whale sharks are anything but camera shy. Between 1995 and 2006, scientists, tourists, divers, and tour guides snapped more than 5100 underwater photographs of these gentle giants at Ningaloo Marine Park, off the coast of Western Australia.

Sharks are odd fishes. These sleek predators differ in a number of ways from other fishes and as a result, they are not tucked into the same clade that contains the 20,000-plus species of ray-finned fishes.

Sharks, rays, and skates form a group of boneless fishes called the elasmobranchs. There are about 800 species of elasmobranchs, of which over half belong to the Batoidea, a group that includes skates and rays.

Batoids are flat-bodied fish. Some species are bottom dwellers that feed on a smorgasbord of marine invertebrates such as clams, snails, oysters and crustaceans as well as the occasional small fish.

Despite its massive size and apparent visibility, this giant fish remains in many respects a big mystery. Scientists know little about its behavior and life history but what they do know paints a picture of a gentle giant.