Shark is one of the strongest marine fish

Sharks, like rays and chimeras, belong to the Chondrichthyes family of cartilaginous fishes. They can also be called "Chondrichthyans", "Chondrichthyans" or "Elasmobranchs". 

They are aquatic animals with gills that allow them to breathe and swim thanks to their fins. It is a very feared animal for its great voracity. As a general rule, it is about 8 m tall and has an arched mouth with several rows of sharp teeth.

Shark characteristics

In addition to the cartilaginous skeleton, sharks differ from other fish in their teeth. They do not have them cast in jaws and they replace them very quickly. Most sharks have long, cylindrical bodies. On each side of the head they have between five, and seven-gill slits, although some species have an additional opening called a blowhole. Many of them have pointed snouts.

The current species reproduce through internal fertilization. Males have a fin to introduce their sperm into the female and the embryos are protected within small capsules. 

The blood of cartilaginous fish is different from that of fish with a bony skeleton as it has a high concentration of urea and trimethylamine oxide. These two substances help sharks keep body fluids in balance with seawater. 

Their fins are stiff. And their skin is covered with scales called placoids.

Sharks are animals very adapted to their environment. Over time, they have developed organs that are susceptible to the slightest drop of blood, or the slightest vibration or movement. Sharks have a good sense of sight. All these characteristics, together with the fact that they have developed a brain superior to the rest of the fish, make them predators of the sea.

For roughly 400 million years, sharks have been evolving. This has allowed them to take on new forms and sizes, grow new organs, and expand their senses. etc. This evolutionary process has resulted in the diversity of species that exist, today 368 recognized species of sharks.

Where sharks live

Sharks are going to be found in any of the oceans that we have on Earth, they are animals that prefer open waters, so they can rarely be located near the coasts. When this happens, it is mainly because the animal feels disoriented since they tend to be guided a lot by sea currents and if they have been churning due to bad weather or high wind, they are more likely to approach the beaches or lower waters.

They have a preference for colder waters, generally inhabiting the shallowest level of the water, with only some species that prefer to go deeper into the depths, or even touching the seabed, but it is not what will predominate in this species.

They are animals that like to be surrounded by their own, although the larger they are, they tend to separate from their group, traveling alone or with a very small group of other specimens, coming together only when they are going to reproduce.

What sharks eat

The diet of sharks is going to be carnivorous, something we are used to thanks to hundreds of movies that show us what this animal is capable of doing to its victims. We can also get an idea when we see their sharp triangular-shaped teeth that dig into their prey, tearing the meat and grabbing it so that it does not escape.

These animals can eat from animals smaller than themselves, which will be swallowed as is and without any problem, making a direct shark attack and at high speed, but they can also feed on fish or other larger beings by giving it a good nibble.

Sharks have different methods to attack their prey, one of the best known is the one they use with medium-sized victims and that they need to stun to facilitate their attack. To do this, he visualizes the animal and then makes a quick attack that will leave it very stunned, at which point the shark bites and kills him. In the case of smaller sharks, many specimens are going to attack a larger victim.

How sharks are born

Sharks have an ovoviviparous reproduction, which means that the baby shark will gestate inside the mother, but with the difference that they will do it in eggs. The male, when it is the mating season, goes to look for the female, who will secrete substances to indicate to his partner that she is ready to procreate.

The population of these animals is very fast, although many times the male shark has been seen biting the female to grab her and keep her from moving. Once this process has finished, the gestation will vary depending on the species we are talking about.