Saturday, April 19, 2008

Scientific Classification

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Subphylum: Vertebrata
  • Class: Chondrichthyes
  • Subclass: Elasmobranchii
  • Superorder: Selachimorpha


SHARKS SENSES:

One of the reasons that sharks are such successful predators is that they have such super senses.

Two-thirds of a shark's brain is dedicated to its keenest sense - smell.

"Some sharks have eyes similar to a cat. A mirror-like layer in their eyes allows them to see better in the water. This allows the shark to hunt in clear seas or murky water."

To top it off, sharks have a few unusual senses. For instance, they are able to feel vibrations in the water using a line of canals that go from its head to its tail. Called a "lateral line", these canals are filled with water and contain sensory cells with hairs growing out of them. These hairs move when the water vibrates and alerts the shark to potential prey.

Sharks also have a sensory organ called the "ampullae of Lorenzini" which they use to "feel" the electrical field coming from its prey.

Works Cited

Llewellyn, Claire. The Best Book of Sharks. N.p.: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, n.d. 
Stevens, John Donald. Sharks. N.p.: n.p., 1999. 

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