Sharks appear in Ice Lords.

Appearances

• Three sharks are kept by the Kalahari Gangsters in a large tank, which Ryan Dawn is dropped into.

About

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 to refer to all extinct members of Chondrichthyes with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts and xenacanths.

The oldest modern sharks are known from the Early Jurassic. They range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species that is only 6.7 in in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 40 ft in length. Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths up to 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 and parasites in addition to improving their fluid dynamics. They have numerous sets of replaceable teeth.

Several species are apex predators, which are organisms that are at the top of their food chain. Select examples include the tiger shark, blue shark, great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark, and hammerhead shark.

Sharks are caught by humans for shark meat or shark fin soup. Many shark populations are threatened by human activities. Since 1970, shark populations have been reduced by 71%, mostly from overfishing.