10 Facts about Chondrichthyes


1. This group includes the largest marine predators alive today
2. Chondrichthyes fishes are named because they have cartilage
3. Chondrichthyes is made up of sharks, skates, and rays
4. Largest creature in Class Chondrichthyes is the whale shark.
5. They are coelomates, bilateral symmetry, and dueterostomes
6. All are carnivorous and most species feed on live prey
7. Further divided into two subgroups, the Elasmobranchi (sharks, rays and skates) and the Holocephali (chimeras)
8. They have teeth to bite food
9. They all have jaws, paired fins, and cartilage
10. Some species feed on the remains of dead animals and others that are filter feeders

ANATOMY

Shark Anatomy

Internal anatomy of a shark
Internal anatomy of a shark


Neural body arch- A bony or cartilaginous arch that arises from the dorsal side of a vertebra to enclose the spinal cord.(nice!)

Cloaca- the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species.

Pharynx- The section of the alimentary canal that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx, where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.

Claspers- rolls of cartilage that become stiffened with calcium in the adult.

Posterior Intestine- part of the digestive tract just after the stomach


Members of Chondrichthyes

No known species in wisconsin, but closest species are located in the atlantic ocean

external image Chondrichthyes_2

Shark- Sharks have been in Earth's seas, unchanged, for 400 million years. Their size, power, and great, toothy jaws fill us with fear and fascination. And though sharks kill only a few people each year, media coverage and movie portrayals of attacks have marked sharks as vicious killing machines.



external image Skate%20lrg.jpg


Skates-

The common skate is the largest European ray . The undersurface is dark grey with black spots or stripes and the uppersurface is more of a greenish brown colour , often with lighter mottling . The snout is pointed and the flattened body has a rhombic shape with sharp corners, and slightly concave outer edges to the wings . There is a row of 12 to 18 thorns along the tail .

external image BullseyeStingray056.jpg
Stingray-Stingrays are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. They spend the majority of their time inactive, partially buried in sand, often moving only with the sway of the tide.

Great White Shark- Marine life is rather intriguing considering the sizes, shapes and colors of the varied species of fish. Amongst all of them, one of the most dreaded is the entire range of shark species. They are dreaded because of their violent temperament. They do not appreciate human beings swimming into their domain.
external image Great-White-shark-South-Australia.jpg

Manta Ray- The graceful manta ray is a stunning member of the devil ray family, if only for its sheer size. These large rays have a distinctive body shape with triangular pectoral ‘wings’ and paddle-like lobes extending in front of their mouths.

external image manta_ray_aussie.jpg


ADDITIONAL INFO
Video of prehistoric shark
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/prehistoric-washington-dc-mega-shark.html



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Across
4.
Skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone.
6.
Pocket of air inside boned fish which sharks lack, and therefore must remain in constant motion to keep from sinking
8.
Flat bodied rays.
9.
Live on crustaceans and mollusks.
10.
The flexible material found in your nose and ears which make up chondrichthyes' frames.

DOWN



1.
Most sharks have five of these on each side of its body.
2.
Sharks regenerate thousands of these body parts through their life.
3.
Body colouring that matches habitat and surroundings.
5.
Sharks are able to sense these weak currents emitted by prey.
7.
It takes these chondrichthyes 8 years to mature and be able to preproduce.



SOURCES:

http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/Data/2009.12/0514/05144131.677.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/basalfish/chondrintro.html
www.cyhaus.com/marine/sharks.htm

http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/MDC/Species%20Register/class_chondrichthyes.htm