Sharks and rays

Fact file

Proper name: Phylum Chordata, Class Chondrichthyes (kon-drick-thees)
Common name: Cartilaginous fish
Examples: Sharks and rays

Numbers of species: About 850
Where they are found: Mainly in the sea

Description: Everyone knows what a shark or ray looks like! Unlike other fish they have fleshy fins, and skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. Their teeth and small scales (called denticles) are the only 'bony' parts of a shark.

Need to know: Many sharks give birth to live young. Unlike most other fish they have 'internal fertilisation'.

Find out more about sharks and rays

Go back to the Tree of life to find out more about other living things.