Marine Living

Definition:

The term elasmobranch refers to the sharks, rays and skates - cartilaginous fishes. These animals have a skeleton made of cartilage, rather than bone.

These animals are collectively referred to as elasmobranchs because they are in the Class Elasmobranchii (older classification systems refer to these organisms as Class Chondrichthyes, listing Elasmobranchii as a subclass.) According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), elasmobranch comes from elasmos (Greek for "metal plate") and branchus (Latin for "gill").

: Skeleton made of cartilage5-7 gill openings on each sideRigid dorsal fins (and spines if present)Spiracles to aid in breathingPlacoid scales (dermal denticles)The upper jaw of elasmobranchs is not fused to their skull.Elasmobranchs have several rows of teeth which are continually replaced.

Species in Class Elasmobranchii, which includes over 1,000 species, include the southern stingray, whale shark, basking shark, and the shortfin mako shark.

Elasmobranchs reproduce sexually with internal fertilization and either bear live young or lay eggs.

View the original article here