The Lamnidae are the family (biology), family of mackerel sharks known as white sharks. They are large, fast-swimming predatory fish found in oceans worldwide, though prefer environments with colder water. The name of the family is formed from the Greek language, Greek word ''lamna'', which means "fish of prey", and was derived from the Greek mythology, Greek legendary creature, the Lamia.: ''A source-book of biological names and terms'', 1944, Edmund Carroll Jaeger These sharks have pointed snouts, spindle-shaped bodies, and large gill openings. The first dorsal fin is large, high, stiff and angular or somewhat rounded. The second dorsal and anal fins are minute. The caudal peduncle has a couple of less distinct keels. The teeth are gigantic. The fifth gill opening is in front of the pectoral fin and spiracles are sometimes absent. They are powerful, heavily built sharks, sometimes weighing nearly twice as much as other sharks of comparable length from other families. Many sharks in the family are among the fastest-swimming fish, although the massive great white shark is slower due to its large size.

Genera and species

The family contains five living species in three genera and these selected extinct genera and species: * Genus †''Carchariolamna'' Hora, 1939 **†''Carchariolamna heroni'' Hora, 1939 * Genus ''Carcharodon'' Andrew Smith (zoologist), Smith, 1838 ** ''Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias'' (Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus, 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 1758) (great white shark) **†''Carcharodon caifassii'' Lawley, 1876 **†''Carcharodon hubbelli'' Ehret, Macfadden, Jones, Devries, Foster & Salas-Gismondi, 2012 (Hubbell's white shark) * Genus †''Corax (genus), Corax'' Agassiz 1843 * Genus †''Cosmopolitodus'' Glikman, 1964 **†''Cosmopolitodus hastalis'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1843 (broad-toothed mako) * Genus †''Carcharomodus'' **†''Carcharomodus escheri'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1843 * Genus ''Isurus'' Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, Rafinesque, 1810 ** ''Shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus'' Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, Rafinesque, 1810 (shortfin mako) ** ''Longfin mako shark, Isurus paucus'' Darío Guitart-Manday, Guitart-Manday, 1966 (longfin mako) **†''Isurus desori'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1843 **†''Isurus flandricus'' Leriche, 1910 **†''Isurus minutus'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1843 **†''Isurus nakaminatoensis'' Saito, 1961 **†''Isurus planus'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1856 **†''Isurus praecursor'' Leriche, 1905 **†''Isurus rameshi'' Mehrotra, Mishra & Srivastava, 1973 * Genus †''Isurolamna'' Henri Cappetta, Cappetta, 1976 **†''Isurolamna affinis'' Casier, 1946 **†''Isurolamna bajarunasi'' Glikman & Zhelezko, 1985 **†''Isurolamna gracilis'' Le Hon, 1871 **†''Isurolamna inflata'' Leriche, 1905 * Genus †''Karaisurus'' Kozlov in Zhelezko & Kozlov, 1999 **†''Karaisurus demidkini'' Kozlov in Zhelezko & Kozlov, 1999 * Genus †''Lamiostoma'' Glikman, 1964 **†''Lamiostoma belyaevi'' Glikman, 1964 **†''Lamiostoma stolarovi'' Glikman & Zhelezko in Zhelezko & Kozlov, 1999 * Genus ''Lamna'' Georges Cuvier, Cuvier, 1816 ** ''Salmon shark, Lamna ditropis'' Carl Leavitt Hubbs, Hubbs & William Irving Follett, Follett, 1947 (salmon shark) ** ''Porbeagle, Lamna nasus'' Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre, Bonnaterre, 1788 (porbeagle) **†''Lamna attenuata'' Davis, 1888 **†''Lamna carinata'' Davis, 1888 **†''Lamna hectori'' Davis, 1888 **†''Lamna marginalis'' Davis, 1888 **†''Lamna quinquelateralis'' Cragin, 1894 **†''Lamna trigeri'' Coquand, 1860 **†''Lamna trigonata'' Louis Agassiz, Agassiz, 1843 * Genus †''Lethenia'' Leriche, 1910 **†''Lethenia vandenbroecki'' Winkler, 1880 * Genus †''Macrorhizodus'' Glikman, 1964 **†''Macrorhizodus americanus'' Leriche, 1942 **†''Macrorhizodus nolfi'' Zhelezko, 1999

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q136902 Lamnidae, Extant Late Cretaceous first appearances Ovoviviparous fish Shark families Taxa named by Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller

Genera and species

See also

References