Sharks have a skeleton that is made out of cartilage and connective

Shark Skeleton and Teeth
Skeleton
Sharks have a skeleton that is made
out of cartilage and connective tissue,
making them different from bony fish
and land vertebrates. Cartilage is found
in our ears and nose. It is flexible,
durable, and has about half the density
of bone.
Porbeagle Shark
Skeleton
Teeth
The diet of a shark determines the shape of its tooth. Plankton eaters, such as whale
sharks, have small, non-functioning teeth. Serrated teeth, as found on tiger and great
white sharks, puncture and tear prey such as sea turtles and marine mammals. Pointed
teeth are used by nurse sharks to grab crustaceans and by blacktip reef sharks to
grip fish. Shark teeth are attached to the jaw by soft tissue and are easily lost. They
do not rest in sockets like ours. Teeth are constantly replaced throughout the shark’s
life. Replacement teeth grow in a groove on the inside of the jaw and move forward as
needed. Some sharks can lose as many as 30,000 teeth in their lifetime. Sharks have
a unique jaw structure, which makes their mouths especially effective in catching their
prey. In most animals, the lower jaw moves freely but the upper jaw is firmly attached to
the skull. In sharks, the upper jaw rests below the skull, allowing the shark to thrust its
entire mouth forward to grab its prey.
Whale Shark
Tiger Shark
Nurse Shark
Blacktip Reef
Shark
Great White Shark