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Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

Sharks & Rays

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BLOG POST Swimming With Sharks Lying in water only a foot deep, I watched the shark meander lazily through the mangrove, already exuding the confidence inherent of the supreme creature within its domain. It was hot here i...MORE STORIES


	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Do Sharks Smell in Stereo? Animals, on land and in the ocean, live in a 3-D world, and they depend on their...
	ARTICLE MORE STORIES Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) The TOPP program brought together scientists from seven countries to explore the...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Reef Sharks Repelled by People Reef sharks rarely get any love. These sharks, comprising several species, loite...

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					X-Ray Image of a Monterey Skate May 14, 2013 - 9:19AMAn X-ray image of a Monterey skate (Raja montereyensis) reveals a spine that extends like a tail out from the pelvic fin. The skeletons of skates, rays, chimaeras, and sharks are made of cartilage, rather than bone. Scientists in...

Grey Reef Shark, West New Britain, Father Reefs, Papua New Guinea

Mar 28, 2013 - 9:45AM

Gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are known for being active at...

Gaping Jaws of a Great White Shark

Mar 20, 2013 - 9:27AM

A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) emerges from the water's...

SPOTLIGHT


5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark CREDIT: © Mary Parrish/Smithsonian Institution 1. Respect Your Elders Sharks have a long and impressive...

Shortfin Mako Shark Jan 7 2013 - 10:06am The shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) is found offshore in tropical and warm temperate waters of all oceans, but has been known to travel to cooler waters at times. It is very strong and the fastest known species of shark. These qualities make the shortfin mako a prized catch among...	Shark Senses Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Sharks have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators - keeping populations of prey species in check. Removing...
X-Ray Image of a Monterey Skate May 14 2013 - 9:19am An X-ray image of a Monterey skate (Raja montereyensis) reveals a spine that extends like a tail out from the pelvic fin. The skeletons of skates, rays, chimaeras, and sharks are made of cartilage, rather than bone. Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of...	Rethink the Shark Dec 18 2009 - 3:17pm Sharks have a long and impressive lineage. Ancient sharks were cruising the ocean 400 million year ago- long before dinosaurs roamed on land. Relatives of the great white like the giant megatooth evolved more than 20 million years ago. But today, sharks are threatened from a...
Illustration of Helicoprion Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am This illustration shows one old idea of what the ancient shark Helicoprion might have looked like. There was room for many ideas—some more plausible than others—because the only fossils of the fish were of a strange, spiral-shaped jaw loaded with teeth. Where did it go? In its mouth, on its nose,...	Saving Sharks and Dolphins, Near and Far Jun 9 2011 - 3:45pm Sophi Bromenshenkel is an unlikely shark-lover. She's eight years old and hails from Minnesota, a state that couldn't be further from the ocean. But a family vacation to Florida changed everything. When she saw a pregnant bull shark left for dead on a beach, Sophie knew she needed to help.
Shark Attack Headlines Dec 17 2009 - 7:15pm Whenever a shark attacks a human, it's headline news. But when a human kills a shark, it goes unreported. Fear keeps many people from caring about sharks. But sharks have more reason to fear us than the other way around. More about the great white shark can be found in the Great White Shark section.	Photo Sequence of Great White Shark Hunting Dec 17 2009 - 6:39pm Great white sharks are athletic hunters, leaping completely out of the water as they attack prey from below. They have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make them highly skilled hunters.
Megalodon Teeth Feb 26 2013 - 10:35am Two fossilized teeth from a megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon) dating back more than 20 million years.	Biomimicry Shark Denticles May 29 2012 - 11:42am Great White Sharks are stealthy hunters and the secret is in their skin. Shark skin is covered by tiny flat V-shaped scales, called dermal denticals, that are more like teeth than fish scales. These denticles decrease drag and turbulence, allowing the shark to swim faster and more quietly. Olympian...
TOPP cartoon of Omoo Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Omoo, a Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias), carries a satellite tag that sends information daily about her movements across the Pacific. Follow her migration real-time. More about the great white shark can be found in our Great White Shark featured story.	Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, Colombia Nov 4 2010 - 11:59am The Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary site in Colombia was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006. The marine park surrounding Malpelo Island is the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, providing critical refuge for threatened and endangered marine mammals, fish, and...
Shark Ancestors Dec 17 2009 - 6:55pm Long before great white sharks appeared, much larger ancestors roamed the ocean. This giant ancient shark -- the Giant Megatooth (Carcharodon megalodon) -- was probably big enough to eat a whale.	Blacktip Sharks by Enric Sala Aug 16 2012 - 11:22am Enric Sala has spent much of his career looking for the ocean's "time machines" -- areas rich in biodiversity and largely unaffected by humans. In this recorded webcast, Sala, a National Geographic Ocean Fellow, takes the audience to the ocean's last wild places and tells us what scientists are...
How Big are Great White Sharks? Sep 11 2012 - 9:45am Imagine an adult person – now triple that size. That’s the size of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The biggest great white sharks can reach up to 20 feet long, but most are smaller. The average female is 15-16 feet long, while males reach 11-13 feet. More about the great white shark...	Finned Sharks in South Africa Nov 18 2010 - 5:23pm Millions of sharks are caught each year for their dorsal fins, which are prized for shark fin soup. Top predators like sharks are important to maintaining biodiversity, and their removal can have ripple effects through an ecosystem. Learn more in our featured story about Sustainable Seafood ...