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List of sharks
Shark classification
Please follow this link to the correct article: Template:TOC left Sharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. It is a fish. The Elasmobranchii also include rays and skates; the Chondrichthyes also include Chimaeras. It is currently thought that the sharks form a polyphyletic group: in particular, some sharks are more closely related to rays than they are to some other sharks. The first sharks appeared in the oceans 350 to 400 million years ago. Most of the species we know today are as old as the Jurassic period. Listed below are extant species of shark in taxonomic order. Sharks are spread across eight orders which are listed in roughly evolutionary order (from primitive to modern), and the families and genera within the orders are listed in alphabetical order.- Hexanchiformes: Examples from this group include the cow sharks, frilled shark and even a shark that looks upon first inspection to be a marine snake.
- Squaliformes: Examples from this group include the bramble sharks, dogfish sharks and roughsharks, and prickly shark.
- Pristiophoriformes: These are the sawsharks, with an elongated, toothed snout that they use for slashing the fishes that they subsequently eat.
- Heterodontiformes: They are commonly referred to as the bullhead or horn sharks.
- Orectolobiformes: They are commonly referred to as the carpet sharks, including zebra sharks, nurse sharks, wobbegongs and the whale shark.
- Carcharhiniformes: They are commonly referred to as the groundsharks, and some of the species include the blue, tiger, bull, reef and oceanic whitetip sharks (collectively called the requiem sharks) along with the houndsharks, catsharks and hammerhead sharks. They are distinguished by an elongated snout and a nictitating membrane which protects the eyes during an attack.
- Lamniformes: They are commonly referred to as the mackerel sharks. They include the goblin shark, basking shark, megamouth shark, the thresher sharks, shortfin and longfin mako sharks, and great white shark. They are distinguished by their large jaws and ovoviviparous reproduction. The Lamniformes include the extinct megalodon, Carcharodon megalodon, which like many extinct sharks is only known from its teeth and a few partially preserved vertebrae.
Taxonomic listing
- ORDER HEXANCHIFORMES (Cow sharks and frilled sharks)
- Family Chlamydoselachidae (Frilled sharks)
- Genus Chlamydoselachus
- Genus Heptranchias
- Family Hexanchidae (Cow sharks, sevengill sharks, and sixgill sharks)
- Genus Hexanchus
- Genus Notorynchus
- ORDER SQUALIFORMES
- Family Centrophoridae
- Genus Centrophorus
- Genus Deania
- Family Dalatiidae (Sleeper sharks)
- Genus Dalatias
- Genus Euprotomicroides
- Genus Euprotomicrus
- Genus Heteroscymnoides
- Genus Isistius
- Genus Mollisquama
- Genus Squaliolus
- Family Echinorhinidae (Bramble sharks)
- Genus Echinorhinus
- Family Etmopterinae
- Genus Aculeola
- Genus Centroscyllium
- Genus Etmopterus
- Genus Miroscyllium
- Genus Trigonognathus
- Family Oxynotinae
- Genus Oxynotus
- Family Somniosinae
- Genus Centroscymnus
- Genus Scymnodalatias
- Genus Scymnodon
- Genus Somniosus (sleeper sharks)
- Family Squalidae (Dogfish sharks)
- Genus Cirrhigaleus
- Genus Squalus
- ORDER PRISTIOPHORIFORMES (Saw sharks)
- Family Pristiophoridae (Saw fishes and saw sharks)
- Genus Pliotrema
- Genus Pristiophorus (Saw sharks)
- ORDER SQUATINIFORMES
- Family Squatinidae (Angelsharks and sand devils)
- Genus Squatina
- ORDER HETERODONTIFORMES (Bullhead sharks)
- Family Heterodontidae (Bullhead sharks, horn sharks, and port jackson sharks)
- Genus Heterodontus
- ORDER ORECTOLOBIFORMES (Carpet sharks)
- Family Brachaeluridae (Blind catsharks and blind sharks)
- Genus Brachaelurus
- Genus Heteroscyllium
- Family Ginglymostomatidae (Nurse sharks)
- Genus Ginglymostoma
- Genus Nebrius
- Genus Pseudoginglymostoma
- Family Hemiscylliidae (Bamboo sharks and longtailed carpetsharks)
- Genus Chiloscyllium
- Genus Hemiscyllium
- Family Orectolobidae (Wobbegongs)
- Genus Eucrossorinus
- Genus Orectolobus
- * Orectolobus halei (Banded or Gulf wobbegong)
- Genus Sutorectus
- Family Parascylliidae (Collared carpetsharks)
- Genus Cirrhoscyllium
- Genus Parascyllium
- Family Rhincodontidae
- Genus Rhincodon
- Family Stegostomatidae (Zebra sharks)
- Genus Stegostoma
- ORDER CARCHARHINIFORMES (Ground sharks)
- Family Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
- Genus Carcharhinus
- Genus Galeocerdo
- Genus Glyphis
- Genus Isogomphodon
- Genus Lamiopsis
- Genus Loxodon
- Genus Nasolamia
- Genus Negaprion (Lemon sharks)
- Genus Prionace
- Genus Rhizoprionodon (Sharpnose sharks)
- Genus Scoliodon
- Genus Triaenodon
- Family Hemigaleidae (Weasel sharks)
- Genus Chaenogaleus
- Genus Hemigaleus
- Genus Hemipristis
- Genus Paragaleus
- Family Leptochariidae (Barbeled houndsharks)
- Genus Leptocharias
- Family Proscylliidae (Finback catsharks)
- Genus Ctenacis
- Genus Eridacnis
- Genus Gollum
- Genus Proscyllium
- Family Pseudotriakidae (False catsharks)
- Genus Pseudotriakis
- Family Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks)
- Genus Apristurus
- Genus Asymbolus
- Genus Atelomycterus
- Genus Aulohalaelurus
- Genus Cephaloscyllium
- Genus Cephalurus
- Genus Galeus
- Genus Halaelurus
- Genus Haploblepharus
- Genus Holohalaelurus
- Genus Parmaturus
- Genus Pentanchus
- Genus Poroderma
- Genus Schroederichthys
- Genus Scyliorhinus
- Family Sphyrnidae (Bonnethead sharks, hammerhead sharks, and scoophead sharks)
- Genus Eusphyra
- Genus Sphyrna
- Family Triakidae (Houndsharks, smooth-hounds, topes, and whiskery sharks)
- Genus Furgaleus
- Genus Galeorhinus
- Genus Gogolia
- Genus Hemitriakis
- Genus Hypogaleus
- Genus Iago
- Genus Mustelus
- Genus Scylliogaleus
- Genus Triakis (Leopard sharks)
- ORDER LAMNIFORMES (Mackerel sharks)
- Family Alopiidae (Thresher sharks)
- Genus Alopias
- Family Cetorhinidae (Basking sharks)
- Genus Cetorhinus
- Family Lamnidae (Mackerel sharks, porbeagles, and white sharks)
- Genus Carcharodon
- Genus Isurus (Shortfin mako)
- Genus Lamna
- * Lamna nasus (Porbeagle)
- Family Megachasmidae (Megamouth sharks)
- Genus Megachasma
- Family Mitsukurinidae (Goblin sharks)
- Genus Mitsukurina
- Family Odontaspididae (Sand sharks and sand tiger sharks)
- Genus Carcharias
- Genus Odontaspis
- Family Pseudocarchariidae (Crocodile sharks)
- Genus Pseudocarcharias
See also
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List_of_sharks". The list of authors you can find on this page.