Bodies like the manta rays and skates. They are different, but sometimes it is almost impossible to tell the difference.
Caudle Peduncle
The joining between the caudal fin and the rest of the body
Dorsal fin
Anal fin
Caudal fin
Tail fin
Pectoral fin
The 'arms' of the shark, or located at the place where our arms are. They are used for steering
Pelvic fin
The 'legs' of the shark
Gill arches
Gill slits
The slits that sharks use for breathing by pushing water past them
Clasper
Modified pelvic fin in males for mating
Denticle
Hook like structures that grab hold of whatever they touch. Sharks have these instead of scales, which accounts for the funny rub of shark skin. Rubbed one way it is smooth. Rubbed the other it is like sandpaper.
Heterocercal
Differently sized. In caudal fins, the upper lobe is larger than the lower
Vertebral column
The cartilaginous spine of a shark
Asymmetrical
If divided in half, the two halves are not identical
Radial
Modified spine
Articulate
Join
Lunate
Mostly symmetrical
Basal plate
The bottom part of the denticle which is under the dermis, or skin
Distal
Process
The part of the denticle, or centrum, that sticks out. In the centrum it is a modified rib
Cartilage
A flexible, tough material found in sharks instead of bones. We have cartilage in our nose
Calcify
Harden, sort of like gritty deposits on sinks that have hard water
Points of mechanical stress
Spots in the skeleton where the most action or pressure is, like knees and lower backs
Cranium
Head
Olfactory capsule
The shark's sense of smell
Auditory capsule
The shark's sense of hearing
Anteriorly
Toward the front
Posteriorly
Toward the back
Rostrum
A bulb at the front of the head. A good example of this is dolphins. They all have rostrums that are easy to spot
Centrum
Pectoral girdle
Like our shoulder blades
Pelvic girdle
Like our pelvis
Cusp
Point on the tooth
Copulation
The act of sexual reproduction
Mating phase
Rather like the mating season in other animals
Oviparous
Lays eggs in leathery shell
Ovoviviparous
Weak shell, hatch internally, yolk sac nourisher
Viviparous
Very weak shell, hatch internally, yolk sac at the end of umbilical cord, mother partial nourisher
Uterine milk
A uteral lining that nourishes the young instead of mother's blood
