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