Sand sharks
Sand sharks | ||||||||||||||
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Obsolete systematic group The taxon dealt with here is not part of the systematics presented in the German-language Wikipedia. More information can be found in the article text. |
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![]() Sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||||
Odontaspididae | ||||||||||||||
Müller & Henle , 1839 |
The sand sharks (Odontaspididae) are a small family of the sharks (Selachii) and belong to the order of the mackerel shark-like (Lamniformes)
Sand sharks are leisurely swimmers. They have relatively small eyes in relation to the body and do not have a nictitating membrane to protect the eyes. The long, sharp teeth protrude forward and give them a dangerous appearance through the open mouth when swimming. However, they are not aggressive.
The sand sharks experience prenatal cannibalism . Only the two oldest cubs develop and are born. After they have first consumed their own yolk sac, which provides them with the most important nutrients, teeth develop in the first hatched. In the later gestation period, which is between eight and twelve months for sand sharks, the oldest feed on the unfertilized eggs and the sibling embryos.
Systematics
There are three types in two genera. The best known species is the sand tiger shark:
- Genus: Big-toothed sand tiger sharks ( Carcharias (Rafinesque, 1810) )
- Sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus (Rafinesque, 1810) )
- Genus: Small-toothed sand tiger sharks ( Odontaspis (Agassiz, 1838) )
- Shield tooth shark ( Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810) )
- Bigeye sand tiger shark ( Odontaspis noronhai (Maul, 1955) )
literature
- Kurt Fiedler, Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish , Gustav Fischer Verlag Jena, 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6 .
- Joseph S. Nelson, Fishes of the World , John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .
Web links
- Sand sharks on Fishbase.org (English)