Shark

2025-02-10T13:08:29Z

2600:4041:4B9:CD00:B414:28E8:8572:CBB7: /* Sharks in mainstream media */

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[[File:WhitesharkPD.jpg|thumb|right|255px|White shark]]
[[File:Lenny.webp|thumb|right|235px|Lenny from [[DreamWorks]]' [[animation|animated feature]] '''''Shark Tale''''']]
[[File:WS WIP BGuthrie.jpg|thumb|right|235px|White shark game character (sketch), art by [[Bob M. Guthrie]].]]
'''Sharks''', also known as '''selachimorphs''', are a group of [[W:Elasmobranch|elasmobranch]] [[fish]] characterized by a [[W:Chondrichthyes#Skeleton|cartilaginous skeleton]], five to seven [[W:gill slit|gill slit]]s on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head.

== General overview ==

Modern sharks are classified within the clade '''Selachimorpha''' (or '''Selachii''') and are the [[W:sister group|sister group]] to the [[W:Batoidea|rays]]. However, the term "shark" has also been (incorrectly) used to refer to extinct members of the subclass [[W:Elasmobranchii|Elasmobranchii]], which are technically outside the Selachimorpha clade. Notable examples of improper classification include [[W:Cladoselache|Cladoselache]], [[W:Xenacanthus|Xenacanthus]], and various other members of the [[W:Chondrichthyes|Chondrichthyes]] class like the [[W:holocephalid|holocephalid]] [[W:Eugeneodontida|eugenedontidans]].

Sharks are swift, strong, silent, and very well adapted to their lifestyle, remaining unchanged since the time of the [[dinosaur]]s. [[W:Shamanism|Shamanism]] attributes the shark with many fine qualities, including remorselessness and [[shapeshifting]]. They take the role of protector and savior. Sharks are gods of the sea and guardians of family, with the ability to move constantly, a connection to past knowledge, the ability to defend themselves, and to never be caught off guard.

Several shark species are [[W:apex predator|apex predator]]s, which are organisms that are at the top of their food chain.

[[Kamohoali'i]] was the king shark god of [[Oahu]] and the elder brother of [[Pele]]. Each island of Hawaii has its own shark god, and many families have personal shark guardians or '''''Aumakuas'''''

== Most known/common shark species ==

* '''Great hammerhead shark''' (''Sphyrna mokarran'') - The Great hammerhead shark is found in all tropical waters, in both the open ocean and coastal areas. Normally 12 to 18 feet in length, these sharks are easily recognized by their strange, 'hammer' shaped heads. These are used as an advanced [[:wikipedia:electroreceptory|electroreceptory]] organ and for rapid turns. Hammerhead's usual hunting behavior is slide just above the seabed and detects living prey underneath much like a metal detector. Modern research suggests that the 'hammer' may have been a spontaneous mutation, since the [[:wikipedia:Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] species has the largest hammer of all.

: Unlike other species of Hammerhead, the Great Hammerhead is solitary and dangerous to [[human]]s. They feed on rays, smaller sharks, and many species of bony fish.

: Great Hammerhead Shark is one of the three hammerhead shark species suggested for [[Rokea]] characters ([[were]]sharks of [[World of Darkness]] RPG). They get a bonus on sight-based rolls and Social rolls with other Rokea (the system grants this bonus to all hammerhead species).

* '''Whale shark''' -
* '''Great white shark''' - The Great white shark or '''white pointer''' is one of the most popular/famous species of sharks, likely due to its decently high number of recorded biting incidents (As of 2012, 272 in total) and its usage in the previously mentioned Jaws series. It is found in many bodies of water near the equator, but it can still be found in more northern and southern waters as well. Its famed predatorial behavior makes it a popular candidate for anthropomorphization.

:While the great white shark is by far the most famous lamniform/mackerel shark, it is not the only one present in furry communities. The '''goblin shark''' (''Mitsukurina owstoni'') is notable for its almost horn-like elongated snout and its extensible jaws, possibly making it a stand-out character from other kinds of sharks, anthropomorphic or not. The '''shortfin''' and '''longfin mako sharks''' (''Isurus oxyrinchus'' and ''paucus'' respectively), or '''blue pointers,''' are rather similar to the great white in body shape, but show a more vivid blue in their coloration.
* '''Mako shark''' -
* '''Thresher shark''' -
* '''Tiger shark''' -
* '''Megalodon''' -

== Sharks in mainstream media ==

* ''[[Street Sharks]]'':
** '''Ripster'''
** '''Jab'''
** '''Streex'''
** '''Big Slammu'''
* Glut (''The Little Mermaid'')
* Kenny (''Kenny the Shark'')
* [[Lenny]] (''[[Shark Tale]]'')
* [[Sharkanian]]s (''[[The Little Mermaid]]'' series)
* [[Razor the Shark]] (''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)|Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series)
* [[Prince Sidon]] (''[[Legend Of Zelda]]'' Series)
* Sharko (''Zig & Sharko'')
* Sharky (''[[Romeo & Juliet: Sealed With a Kiss]]'')
* Troy (''Shark Bait'')
* Undertow (''The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'')
* Virgil "Bull" Sharkowski (''[[My Gym Partner's a Monkey]]'')
* The Meg (''The Meg'')

== See also ==

* [[Wikipedia:Shark|Shark]] on [[Wikipedia]]
* [[:Category:Shark characters|Shark characters]]

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{{Wikipedia|Shark}}
[[Category:Fish species]]

[[ja:サメ]]
[[ru:Акулы]]
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Shark