Each piece of skeleton is formed by an outer connective tissue called the perichondrium and then covered underneath by a layer of hexagonal, mineralized blocks called tesserae. [8] Dorsal fin diagram with landmarks labeled. Fins allow the sharks to be able to guide and lift themselves.

Sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, which rarely preserves in the fossil record. Gordon Hubbell has perhaps the world’s largest and best-preserved collection of rare shark jaws and teeth, including the only complete fossilized skull of a Great White Shark.

The Skulls Project is an education and outreach project about shark anatomy, specifically the chondrocranium (skulls) of shark species.

The skull of a shark, which is also comprised of cartilage, can vary in shape. In fact, there are numerous ways in which a shark’s jaw can be connected to the cranium; the method in which the shark feeds, determines how the jaw will attach to the cranium.

Shark skeletons are made of cartilage. This is strong and durable, yet much more flexible and lighter than bone. Being lighter helps a shark to stay afloat and reduces the amount of energy they need to move about.

Dogfish Shark Skull Active Learning Kit. Move your students’ learning beyond memorization with this active learning kit covering shark skeletal anatomy, cranial nerves, cranial muscles, jaw biomechanics, and more!

The skeleton of the shark has evolved and adapted to suit and aid the habitat, migration, hunting habits and diet of these acclaimed carnivores. Unlike terrestrial animals, humans, and even other marine animals, sharks’ skeletons are made purely of cartilage and connective tissue, or muscle.

Like the rest of its skeleton, the skull of a shark is made mostly of cartilage. The shape of the skull can be variable, ranging from the classic shape of a porbeagle skull, as seen below, to the broad and flat shape of a hammerhead shark.

Gain familiarity with the basic regions of the vertebrate skull—neurocranium, splanchnocranium, dermatocranium. Identify the basic components of the shark chondrocranium. Identify the elements of the fish head listed below and recognize the …

Identify the skeletal cartilages that make up the cranium and jaws of the spiny dogfish shark and figure out how they fit together by building a 3D model of the skull.