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CLASS : ELASMOBRANCHII (Cartilaginous fishes)
The sharks, skates and rays together constitute this group called Selachii,
represented in Maharashtra waters by two super-orders Selachoidei (the
true sharks) and Batoidei (the rays) including 11 families, 26 genera and
57 species. The fishes are greatly variable in size and shape, ranging from
2 feet to varitable monsters of 52 feet or more in length and all are marked
by possession of cartilage in place of bones.
(1) SHARKS (Selachoidei)
The word shark is generally associated with apprehensions of sleek and
sinister monsters, waiting to grab anything by their mouth, lined by sharp
and formidable teeth. In reality, amongst the several species found in
Maharashtra waters, only a few are really dangerous to man.
To scientists, they are of great biological significance for they represent
the group of fishes, which have survived unchanged since remote
geological times and can, therefore, be called as “living fossils”.
Sharks are found in all the seas of the world and at different depths. They
are necessarily marine in habitat, though some ascend rivers and one
species, not represented in Maharashtra, is a permanent resident of fresh
water (river Ganga).
Feeding habit of sharks is essentially that of a predatory scavenger. With
its mouth on the under side, the shark goes about picking up any item of
food on the bottom, as it comes in its way. With poor eyesight, the food
detection is believed to be accomplished by its highly developed sense of
smell; by sight, it may not detect even at a distance of 10 yards.
Experiments conducted on sharks by plugging their nostrils with cotton,
have shown that they do not care for food at a short distance, but when
plugs are removed, food is immediately detected and attacked.
FAUNA 90