What tissues do sharks have?
Cartilaginous skeleton Unlike fishes with bony skeletons, a shark’s skeleton is made out of cartilage. This is a flexible but strong connective tissue that’s also found throughout the human body, in places like the nose, ears, and in joints between bones.
Do sharks have a body cavity?
PLEUROPERITONEAL CAVITY Coelom – The coelom or body cavity of the shark is divided into the larger posterior chamber, the pleuroperitoneal cavity, and the smaller anterior pericardial cavity which contains the heart. The two cavities are separated by a partition.
What are the slits on the side of a shark called?
The spiracle in sharks is used to provide oxygenated blood directly to the eye and brain through a separate blood vessel. In the rays, the spiracle is much larger and more developed and is used to actively pump water over the gills to allow the ray to breathe while buried in the sand.
What is shark spleen?
Spleen: A shark’s spleen’s purpose is to create red blood cells. In humans, red blood cells are created in bone marrow, however, sharks have no bones or bone marrow. A shark’s spleen is the main part of its immune system.
What are the body parts of a shark?
For more complete information on shark anatomy and physiology, see The Hunt and the books listed below and under Resources.
- Skin. As if sharks didn’t have enough teeth, their entire bodies are covered with them.
- Jaws.
- Ampullae of Lorenzini.
- Nostrils.
- Spiracle.
- Claspers.
- Pectoral Fins.
- Liver.
What is a sharks skin?
Shark skin is made of a matrix of tiny, hard, tooth-like structures called dermal denticles or placoid scales. These structures are shaped like curved, grooved teeth and make the skin a very tough armor with a texture like sandpaper.
What is the structure of a shark?
Shark skeletons are made of cartilage. This is strong and durable, yet much more flexible and lighter than bone. Being lighter helps a shark to stay afloat and reduces the amount of energy they need to move about. The flexibility of cartilage also allows them to make tight turns quickly.
Why do sharks have gill slits?
Some sharks have spiracles, which are special gill slits located just behind the eyes. They supply oxygen directly to the eyes and brain of the shark. Bottom dwelling sharks like the angelsharks use this extra respiratory organ to breathe while at rest on the sea floor.
What is the duodenum of the shark?
The duodenum is a short “U”-shaped portion of the small intestine that connects the stomach to the intestine. The bile duct from the gall bladder enters the duodenum. The pancreas is located on the duodenum and the lower stomach.
What are sharks made out of?
Sharks do not have bones—they are made up of cartilage. They are called Elasmobranchs, which translates into fish made of cartilaginous tissues. Even though they don’t have bones, they still can fossilize.
What is a shark’s skin made of?
Shark skin feels exactly like sandpaper because it is made up of tiny teeth-like structures called placoid scales, also known as dermal denticles. These scales point towards the tail and help reduce friction from surrounding water when the shark swims.
What are dermal denticles made of?
These v-shaped denticles are closely spaced together. They are made of an inner pulp cavity that contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue; and an outside layer of dentine made of a mineral called apatite.
What are some body parts to a shark?
Body Parts of a Shark
- Dorsal Fin. The dorsal fin is the infamous protruding cartilage that sits atop the shark’s smooth surface.
- Gill Openings. These slit like openings fall along the sides of the sharks powerful jaws.
- Eyes.
- Spiracle.
- Mouth.
- Snout.
- Pectoral Fins.
- Pelvic Fins.
What are shark gills called?
Gill slits
Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays, as well as deep-branching vertebrates such as lampreys.
What do gill filaments do in a shark?
Gill arches are considered part of the skeleton; they hold the gills in place. The arches support one or two rows of gill filaments. The filaments are designed so that water flows in one direction alongside them, while inside the filaments blood flows in the opposite direction.
What is the mesentery?
The mesentery is a fold of membrane that attaches the intestine to the abdominal wall and holds it in place. Mesenteric lymphadenitis is an inflammation of the lymph nodes in the mesentery.
What is the digestive system of a shark?
Shark intestines are short and compact. The surface area of the intestine is increased by internal valves, or coils, that can take any of several forms. The increased surface area slows food passage through the intestine, and speeds up the rate at which it can be digested and absorbed into the blood.
What is shark skin called?
dermal scales
Shark skin is not made up of traditional fish scales. Rather, they have minature teeth similar to shark teeth in general that interlock (see the close up picture above). These scales are called “dermal scales”.
What are shark denticles?
Shark skin is covered by tiny flat V-shaped scales, called dermal denticles, that are more like teeth than fish scales. These denticles decrease drag and turbulence, allowing the shark to swim faster and more quietly.