
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the rays. However, the term "shark" has also been used for extinct members of the subclass Elasmobranchii outside the Selachimorpha, such as Cladoselache and Xenacanthus, as well as other Chondrichthyes such as the holocephalid eugenedontidans. Under this broader definition, the earliest known sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago. Acanthodians are often referred to as "spiny sharks" though they are not part of Chondrichthyes proper, they are a paraphyletic assemblage leading to cartilaginous fish as a whole. Since then, sharks have diversified into over 500 species. They range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species of only 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (40 ft) in length. Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river shark, which can be found in both seawater and freshwater. Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles that protects their skin from damage... Learn more about Shark
View all family groups for: Fish
Shark Species Videos
View All Shark Videos
Common Name | Scientific Name | Conservation Status |
Angelshark (4 videos) | Squatina caillieti | Not Available |
Basking Shark (178 videos) | Cetorhinus maximus | Endangered |
Bigeye Thresher Shark (2 videos) | Alopias superciliosus | Vulnerable |
Blackmouth Catshark (4 videos) | Galeus melastomus | Least concern |
Blacktip Reef Shark (307 videos) | Carcharhinus melanopterus | Vulnerable |
Blacktip Shark (527 videos) | Carcharhinus limbatus | Near threatened |
Blue Shark (655 videos) | Prionace glauca | Near threatened |
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (59 videos) | Hexanchus griseus | Near threatened |
Broadnose Sevengill Shark (104 videos) | Notorynchus cepedianus | Vulnerable |
Bronze Whaler Shark (51 videos) | Carcharhinus brachyurus | Vulnerable |
Bull Shark (318 videos) | Carcharhinus leucas | Near threatened |
Carcharhinus Menisorrah (56 videos) | Carcharhinus menisorrah | Not Available |
Caribbean Reef Shark (1155 videos) | Carcharhinus perezi | Near threatened |
Common Thresher Shark (8 videos) | Alopias vulpinus | Vulnerable |
Dusky Shark (5 videos) | Carcharhinus obscurus | Endangered |
Epaulette Shark (33 videos) | Hemiscyllium ocellatum | Least concern |
Galapagos Shark (17 videos) | Carcharhinus galapagensis | Least concern |
Graceful Shark (0 videos) | Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides | Near threatened |
Gray Reef Shark (610 videos) | Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos | Endangered |
Great Hammerhead Shark (495 videos) | Sphyrna mokarran | Critically endangered |
Great White Shark (2961 videos) | Carcharodon carcharias | Vulnerable |
Greenland Shark (22 videos) | Somniosus microcephalus | Vulnerable |
Gummy Shark (2 videos) | Mustelus antarcticus | Least concern |
Horn Shark (24 videos) | Heterodontus francisci | Data deficient |
Lemon Shark (545 videos) | Negaprion brevirostris | Near threatened |
Leopard Shark (11 videos) | Triakis semifasciata | Least concern |
Night Shark (28 videos) | Carcharhinus signatus | Vulnerable |
Nurse Shark (729 videos) | Ginglymostoma cirratum | Data deficient |
Oceanic Whitetip Shark (207 videos) | Carcharhinus longimanus | Critically endangered |
Ornate Wobbegong Shark (9 videos) | Orectolobus ornatus | Least concern |
Pacific Angelshark (10 videos) | Squatina californica | Near threatened |
Pelagic Thresher Shark (57 videos) | Alopias pelagicus | Endangered |
Porbeagle Shark (1 videos) | Lamna nasus | Vulnerable |
Port Jackson Shark (14 videos) | Heterodontus portusjacksoni | Least concern |
Rabbit Fish (72 videos) | Chimaera monstrosa | Vulnerable |
Sand Tiger Shark (469 videos) | Carcharias taurus | Vulnerable |
Sandbar Shark (8 videos) | Carcharhinus plumbeus | Vulnerable |
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (235 videos) | Sphyrna lewini | Critically endangered |
Short-tail Nurse Shark (1 videos) | Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum | Critically endangered |
Shortfin Mako Shark (8 videos) | Isurus oxyrinchus | Endangered |
Sicklefin Lemon Shark (17 videos) | Negaprion acutidens | Vulnerable |
Silky Shark (313 videos) | Carcharhinus falciformis | Vulnerable |
Silvertip Shark (234 videos) | Carcharhinus albimarginatus | Vulnerable |
Smooth Hammerhead Shark (22 videos) | Sphyrna zygaena | Vulnerable |
Spotted Sharpnose (3 videos) | Canthigaster solandri | Least concern |
Spotted Wobbegong Shark (44 videos) | Orectolobus maculatus | Least concern |
Striped Catshark (38 videos) | Poroderma africanum | Least concern |
Swell Shark (16 videos) | Cephaloscyllium ventriosum | Least concern |
Tawny Nurse Shark (76 videos) | Nebrius ferrugineus | Vulnerable |
Tiger Shark (363 videos) | Galeocerdo cuvier | Near threatened |
Tope Shark (6 videos) | Galeorhinus galeus | Critically endangered |
Whale Shark (1646 videos) | Rhincodon typus | Endangered |
Whitetip Reef Shark (723 videos) | Triaenodon obesus | Vulnerable |
Winghead Shark (1 videos) | Eusphyra blochii | Endangered |
Zebra Shark (111 videos) | Stegostoma fasciatum | Not Available |