| Ground sharks Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent[1] | |
|---|---|
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| Blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Selachimorpha |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes Compagno, 1977 |
The ground sharks, order Carcharhiniformes, are the largest order of sharks. With over 270 species, carcharhiniforms include a number of common types, such as the blue shark, catsharks, swellsharks, and sandbar shark.
Members of the orders are characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits.
The families in the order Carcharhiniformes are expected to be revised; recent DNA studies show that some of the traditional groups are not monophyletic.
Families[]
- Carcharhinidae (requiem sharks)
- Hemigaleidae (weasel sharks)
- Leptochariidae (barbeled houndshark)
- Proscylliidae (finback cat sharks)
- Pseudotriakidae (false cat sharks)
- Scyliorhinidae (cat sharks)
- Sphyrnidae (hammerhead sharks)
- Triakidae (hound sharks)
Timeline of genera[]
References[]
- ^ Template:FishBase order
- Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: p.560. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
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External links[]
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Template:Carcharhiniformes
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