Lamnidae

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Mackerel sharks
Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous–recent
White shark.jpg
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Subdivision: Selachimorpha
Order: Lamniformes
Superfamily: Lamnoidea
Family: Lamnidae
J. P. Müller and Henle, 1838
Extant genera
Extinct genera; see text

The Lamnidae are the family of mackerel sharks known as white sharks. [2] They are large, fast-swimming predatory fish found in oceans worldwide, though they prefer environments with colder water. The name of the family is formed from the Greek word lamna, which means "fish of prey", and was derived from the Greek legendary creature, the Lamia. [3]

Contents

These sharks have pointed snouts, spindle-shaped bodies, and large gill openings. The first dorsal fin is large, high, stiff and angular or somewhat rounded. The second dorsal and anal fins are minute. The caudal peduncle has a couple of less distinct keels. The teeth are gigantic. The fifth gill opening is in front of the pectoral fin and spiracles are sometimes absent. They are powerful, heavily built sharks, sometimes weighing nearly twice as much as other sharks of comparable length from other families. Many sharks in the family are among the fastest-swimming fish, although the massive great white shark is slower due to its large size.

Genera and species

The family contains five living species in three genera and these selected extinct genera and species: [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Carcharodon</i> Genus of sharks

Carcharodon is a genus of sharks within the family Lamnidae, colloquially called the "white sharks." The only extant member is the great white shark. The extant species was preceded by a number of fossil (extinct) species including C. hubbelli and C. hastalis. The first appearance of the genus may have been as early as the Early Miocene or Late Oligocene. Carcharocles megalodon is still argued by some paleontologists to be a close relative of Carcharodon carcharias - as well as being in the same genus. The megalodon's scientific name was originally "Carcharodon" megalodon, but more recently, the giant shark has been assigned by most scientists to either the genus Carcharocles or Otodus.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shortfin mako shark</span> Species of shark

The shortfin mako shark, also known as the shortfin mako, blue pointer, or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark. The fastest known shark species, able to reach speeds of 74 km/h (46 mph) in bursts, the shortfin mako can attain a size of 4 m (13 ft) in length and weigh 570 kg (1,260 lb). The species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porbeagle</span> Species of shark (Lamna nasus)

The porbeagle or porbeagle shark is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is the closely related salmon shark (L. ditropis). It typically reaches 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in length and a weight of 135 kg (298 lb); North Atlantic sharks grow larger than Southern Hemisphere sharks and differ in coloration and aspects of life history. Gray above and white below, the porbeagle has a very stout midsection that tapers towards the long, pointed snout and the narrow base of the tail. It has large pectoral and first dorsal fins, tiny pelvic, second dorsal, and anal fins, and a crescent-shaped caudal fin. The most distinctive features of this species are its three-cusped teeth, the white blotch at the aft base of its first dorsal fin, and the two pairs of lateral keels on its tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand shark</span> Family of sharks

Sand sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks, gray nurse sharks or ragged tooth sharks, are mackerel sharks of the family Odontaspididae. They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters. The three species are in two genera.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfin mako shark</span> Species of shark

The longfin mako shark is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, with a probable worldwide distribution in temperate and tropical waters. An uncommon species, it is typically lumped together under the name "mako" with its better-known relative, the shortfin mako shark. The longfin mako is a pelagic species found in moderately deep water, having been reported to a depth of 220 m (720 ft). Growing to a maximum length of 4.3 m (14 ft), the slimmer build and long, broad pectoral fins of this shark suggest that it is a slower and less active swimmer than the shortfin mako.

<i>Myliobatis</i> Genus of cartilaginous fishes

Myliobatis is a genus of eagle rays in the family Myliobatidae.

<i>Lamna</i> Genus of sharks

Lamna is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, containing two extant species: the porbeagle of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere, and the salmon shark of the North Pacific.

<i>Isurus</i> Genus of sharks

Isurus is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks. They are largely pelagic, fast predatory fish capable of swimming at speeds up to 50 km/h (31 mph).

<i>Otodus angustidens</i> Species of fossil shark

Otodus angustidens is an extinct species of prehistoric megatoothed sharks in the genus Otodus, which lived during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs about 33 to 22 million years ago. The largest individuals were about 11–12 metres (36–39 ft) long. This shark is related to another extinct megatoothed shark, the famous Otodus megalodon.

<i>Otodus chubutensis</i> Species of fossil sharks

Otodus chubutensis, meaning "ear-shaped tooth of Chubut", from Ancient Greek ὠτ and ὀδούς – thus, "ear-shaped tooth", is an extinct species of prehistoric megatoothed sharks in the genus Otodus, that lived during Early Miocene to Middle Miocene. The largest individuals were about 13.5 metres (44 ft) long. This shark is considered a close relative of the famous prehistoric megatoothed shark O. megalodon. However, as is the case with O. megalodon, the classification of this species is disputed.

Eostriatolamia is an extinct genus of sharks in the family Odontaspididae. It was described by Gluckman in 1980. A new species, E. paucicorrugata, was described from the Cenomanian of Canada by Charlie J. Underwood and Stephen L. Cumbaa in 2010.

<i>Cosmopolitodus</i> Extinct genus of mackerel shark

Cosmopolitodus is an extinct genus of mackerel shark that lived between thirty and one million years ago during the late Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene epochs. Its type species is Cosmopolitodus hastalis, the broad-tooth mako. In 2021, Isurus planus was reassigned to the genus, and thus became the second species C. planus. However, some researchers still consider both species of Cosmopolitodus as species of Carcharodon.

<i>Carcharomodus escheri</i> Extinct species of shark

Carcharomodus escheri, commonly nicknamed the serrated mako shark or Escher's mako shark, is an extinct lamnid that lived during the Miocene. It has been formerly thought to have been the transitional between the broad-toothed "mako" Cosmopolitodus hastalis and the modern great white, but is now considered to be an evolutionary dead-end with the discovery of Carcharodon hubbelli. Fossil examples have been found along northern Atlantic coastlines and in parts of Western and Central Europe.

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Lamnidae". FishBase . January 2009 version.
  2. McEachran, J.; Fechhelm, J.D. (1998). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Vol. 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 53. ISBN   978-0-292-75206-1. OCLC   38468784 . Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  3. ISBN   9781258302863: A source-book of biological names and terms, 1944, Edmund Carroll Jaeger