The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sharks:
Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) – a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 440 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs.
Ichthyology – branch of zoology devoted to fish (including sharks)
Meristics – branch of ichthyology that relates to counting features of fish, such as the number of fins or scales
A shark, also called a "selachimorph", can be described as all of the following:
Animal – multicellular, eukaryotic organism of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. An animal's body plan eventually becomes fixed as it develops, although some types of animal undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most kinds of animal are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently.
Chordate – Chordates (phylum Chordata) are animals which are either vertebrates or one of several closely related invertebrates.
Fish – gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate (or craniate) animal that lacks limbs with digits.
Chondrichthye (cartilaginous fish) – jawed fish with paired fins, paired nares, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.
Elasmobranch – member of the subclass Elasmobranchii, which includes sharks, rays, and skates.
Predator – organism that attacks and feeds on prey (the organism that is attacked).Apex predator – some shark species are apex predators, that is, predators with no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Subdivisions of the biological classification Selachimorpha include:
Carcharhiniformes – ground sharks
Heterodontiformes – bullhead sharks
Hexanchiformes – the five extant species of the most primitive types of sharks
Lamniformes – mackerel sharks
Orectolobiformes – includes carpet sharks, including zebra sharks, nurse sharks, wobbegongs, and the whale shark
Pristiophoriformes – includes sawsharks
Squaliformes – includes gulper sharks, bramble sharks, lantern sharks, rough sharks, sleeper sharks and dogfish sharks
Squatiniformes – angel sharks
† Cladoselachiformes
† Hybodontiformes
† Symmoriida
† Xenacanthida (Xenacantiformes)
Predation
Apex predator
Shark threat display – Behaviour shown by some sharks when threatened
Spy hopping – Raising the head out of the water
International Shark Attack File
List of fatal, unprovoked shark attacks in the United States
Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 – series of shark attacks along the coast of New Jersey between July 1 and July 12, 1916
Summer of the Shark – the name given to the summer of 2001 by American media outlets capitalizing on a bull shark attack and subsequent shark attacks
Bodies of water in which sharks can be found include:
Seas: all
Freshwater – some species of shark can live both in seawater and freshwater, and include:
Bull shark
River shark
Sandbar shark
Depths: from the surface down to depths of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
White Shark Cafe – remote mid-Pacific Ocean area noted as a winter and spring habitat of otherwise coastal great white sharks
Shark tank
Shark tunnel – underwater tunnel that passes through an aquarium that keeps sharks
Physical characteristics of sharks – shark skeleton, respiration and skin
Dermal denticle – small outgrowths which cover the skin of sharks
Ampullae of Lorenzini – sensing organ that helps sharks and fish to sense electric fields
Electroreception – the biological ability to perceive electrical impulses (see also Ampullae of Lorenzini)
Lateral line – sense organ that detects movement and vibration in the surrounding water
Shark cartilage – material that a sharks' skeleton is composed of
Shark teeth
Spiracle – pumps water across gills
Clasper – the anatomical structure that male sharks use for mating
Fish anatomy – generic description of fish anatomy
Drum lines
Shark net – submerged net placed around beaches to reduce shark attacks on swimmers
Shark proof cage – cage from which a SCUBA diver can examine sharks more safely
Shark repellent – method of driving sharks from an area, object, person, or animal
Magnetic shark repellent – use of permanent magnet to repel sharks
Protective Oceanic Device – first successful electronic shark repellent
Shark suit
Drivers of the shark trade
Land-based shark fishing – fishing for sharks from land such as a beach, shoreline, jetty, pier, or bridge
Shark finning–the removal of shark fins for commercial purposes
1992 Cageless shark-diving expedition – 1st publicized cageless dive with great white sharks which contributed to changing public opinions about the supposed "killing machine"
Shark Alliance – coalition of non-governmental organizations dedicated to restoring and conserving shark populations by improving European fishing policy
Shark Conservation Act – Proposed US law to protect sharks
Shark sanctuary – Palau's first-ever attempt to prohibit taking sharks within its territorial waters
Shark tourism – form of ecotourism showcasing sharks
Shark Trust – A UK organisation for conservation of sharks
Stronsay Beast – large, dead creature washed ashore on Stronsay, in the Orkney Islands, after a storm in 1808, later presumed to be a basking shark
Notable researchers and people
Peter Benchley – author of the novel Jaws, later worked for shark conservation
Jacques-Yves Cousteau – French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water including sharks
Eugenie Clark – American ichthyologist researching poisonous fish and the behavior of sharks; popularly known as The Shark Lady
Leonard Compagno – international authority on shark taxonomy, best known for 1984 catalog of shark species (FAO)
Ben Cropp – Australian former shark hunter, who stopped in 1962 to produce some 150 wildlife documentaries
Richard Ellis – American marine biologist, author, and illustrator.
Rodney Fox – Australian film maker, conservationist, survivor of great white shark attack and one of the world's foremost authorities on them
Andre Hartman – South African diving guide best known for free-diving unprotected with great white sharks
Hans Hass – diving pioneer, known for shark documentaries
Mike Rutzen – great white shark expert and outspoken champion of shark conservation; known for free diving unprotected with great white sharks
Ron & Valerie Taylor – ex-spearfishing champions who switched from killing to filming underwater documentaries
