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The Lamniformes (, from Greek ''lamna'' "fish of prey") are an
order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
of
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
s commonly known as mackerel sharks (which may also refer specifically to the family Lamnidae). It includes some of the most familiar species of sharks, such as the great white, as well as more unusual representatives, such as the
goblin shark The goblin shark (''Mitsukurina owstoni'') is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old. This pink-skinned anima ...
and
megamouth shark The megamouth shark (''Megachasma pelagios'') is a species of deepwater shark. It is rarely seen by humans and is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks alongside the relatively larger whale shark and basking shark. Since its d ...
. Members of the order are distinguished by possessing two
dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...
s, an
anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...
, five gill slits, eyes without nictitating membranes, and a mouth extending behind the eyes. Species in two families of Lamniformes – Lamnidae and Alopiidae – are distinguished for maintaining a higher body temperature than the surrounding water. Members of the group include macropredators, generally of medium-large size, including the largest macropredatory shark ever, the extinct ''
Otodus megalodon Megalodon (''Otodus megalodon''), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. It was formerly thought to be a membe ...
,'' as well as large planktivores. The oldest member of the group is the small (~ long)
carpet shark Carpet sharks are sharks classified in the order Orectolobiformes . Sometimes the common name "carpet shark" (named so because many species resemble ornately patterned carpets) is used interchangeably with "wobbegong", which is the common name of ...
-like ''
Palaeocarcharias ''Palaeocarcharias'' is an extinct genus of shark, known from the Middle-Late Jurassic of Europe. It has only a single named species, ''P. stromeri,'' which is known from exceptionally preserved specimens from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian In th ...
,'' known from the Middle and Late
Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
, which shares the distinctive tooth histology of most lamniform sharks, which lack orthodentine. Lamniformes underwent a major
adaptive radiation In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is a process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic int ...
during the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
and became prominent elements of oceanic ecosystems. They reached their highest diversity during the Late Cretaceous, but severely declined during the K-Pg extinction, before rebounding to a high but lower diversity peak during the
Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of ...
. Lamniformes have severely declined over the last 20 million years, with only 15 species alive today, compared to over 290 extant species in the Carcharhiniformes, which have evolved into medium and large body sizes during the same timeframe. The causes of the decline are uncertain, but are likely to have involved both
biotic Biotics describe living or once living components of a community; for example organisms, such as animals and plants. Biotic may refer to: *Life, the condition of living organisms *Biology, the study of life * Biotic material, which is derived from ...
factors like competition and non-biotic factors like temperature and sea level.


Species

The order Lamniformes includes 10 families with 22 species, with a total of seven living families and 17 living species: Order Lamniformes * Family Alopiidae Bonaparte, 1838 (thresher sharks) ** Genus ''
Alopias Thresher sharks are large lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world; the family contains three extant species, all within the genus ''Alopias''. All three thresher shark species have been l ...
'' Rafinesque, 1810 *** '' Alopias pelagicus'' Nakamura, 1935 (pelagic thresher

*** '' Bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus'' R. T. Lowe, 1841 (bigeye thresher

*** '' Common thresher, Alopias vulpinus'' (
Bonnaterre Abbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre (1752, Aveyron – 20 September 1804, Saint-Geniez-d'Olt) was a French zoologist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic ...
, 1788)
(common thresher

* Family † Anacoracidae Capetta, 1987 (extinct,
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
period) ** Genus †''
Squalicorax ''Squalicorax'', commonly known as the crow shark, is a genus of extinct lamniform shark known to have lived during the Cretaceous period. The genus had a global distribution in the Late Cretaceous epoch. Multiple species within this genus are c ...
'' (crow sharks) ** Genus †''
Telodontaspis ''Cretoxyrhina'' (; meaning 'Cretaceous sharp-nose') is an extinct genus of large mackerel shark that lived about 107 to 73 million years ago during the late Albian to late Campanian of the Late Cretaceous. The type species, ''C. mantelli'', is m ...
'' ** Genus †'' Pseudocorax'' ** Genus †'' Galeocorax'' ** Genus †'' Scindocorax'' ** Genus †''
Nanocorax ''Nanocorax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains two valid species, ''N. crassus'' and ''N. microserratodon''. It has been found in North America, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East ...
'' ** Genus †''
Ptychocorax ''Ptychocorax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains three valid species that have been found in Europe and Asia. It was originally identified as a hybodontiform, but was later reidentified a ...
'' *Family †
Aquilolamnidae ''Aquilolamna'' is an extinct genus of shark-like elasmobranch from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian)-aged Agua Nueva Formation of Mexico. It is currently known to contain only one species, ''A. milarcae'', also known as the eagle shark, and it is ...
Vullo ''et al.'', 2021? (eagle sharks) (extinct,
Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', ...
period) **Genus †''
Aquilolamna ''Aquilolamna'' is an extinct genus of shark-like elasmobranch from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian)-aged Agua Nueva Formation of Mexico. It is currently known to contain only one species, ''A. milarcae'', also known as the eagle shark, and it is ...
'' Vullo ''et al.'', 2021 ***†''
Aquilolamna milarcae ''Aquilolamna'' is an extinct genus of shark-like elasmobranch from the Late Cretaceous ( Turonian)-aged Agua Nueva Formation of Mexico. It is currently known to contain only one species, ''A. milarcae'', also known as the eagle shark, and ...
'' Vullo ''et al.'', 2021 * Family Cetorhinidae
Gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...
, 1862
** Genus '' Cetorhinus'' Blainville, 1816 *** '' Cetorhinus maximus'' (
Gunnerus Johan Ernst Gunnerus (26 February 1718 – 25 September 1773) was a Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology at the Univer ...
, 1765)
(basking shark

***†''
Cetorhinus huddlestoni The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...
'' (Welton, 2014) ***†''
Cetorhinus piersoni The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in length. ...
'' (Welton, 2015) ** Genus †'' Keasius'' (Welton, 2013) *Family Eoptolamnidae (extinct, Late Cretaceous period) **Genus †'' Eoptolamna'' ***†'' Eoptolamna eccentrolopha'' ** Genus †''
Leptostyrax ''Leptostyrax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Cretaceous. It contains two valid species, ''L. macrorhiza'' and ''L. stychi'', which have been found in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Vertebrae possibly ...
'' ***†'' Leptostyrax macrorhiza'' ** Genus †'' Protolamna'' ***†'' Protolamna sokolovi'' ***†'' Protolamna borodini'' ***†'' Protolamna carteri'' ***†'' Protolamna compressidens'' ***†'' Protolamna gigantea'' ***†'' Protolamna roanokeensis'' * Superfamily
Lamnoidea Lamnoidea is a proposed superfamily of mackerel sharks that includes the families Lamnidae and Otodontidae. A sister group relationship between lamnids and otodontids is supported by synapomorphies including regional endothermy, tooth morphology ...
Bonaparte, 1835 ** Family Lamnidae J. P. Müller and Henle, 1838 (white sharks) *** Genus '' Carcharodon'' A. Smith, 1838 **** ''
Carcharodon carcharias The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...
'' (
Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...
, 1758)
(great white shark

**** †'' Carcharodon hubbelli'' Ehret, Macfadden, Jones, Devries, Foster & Salas-Gismondi, 2012 (Hubbell's white shark) **** †'' Carcharodon caifassii'' Lawley, 1876 *** Genus '' Isurus'' Rafinesque, 1810 **** '' Isurus oxyrinchus'' Rafinesque, 1810 (shortfin mako

**** '' Longfin mako shark, Isurus paucus'' Guitart-Manday, 1966 (longfin mako

*** Genus '' Lamna''
Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...
, 1816
**** '' Lamna ditropis'' Hubbs & Follett, 1947 (salmon shark

**** '' Porbeagle, Lamna nasus'' (Bonnaterre, 1788) (porbeagle

** Family † Otodontidae Gluckman, 1964 (extinct, Late Cretaceous to
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Cretalamna'' *** Genus †'' Otodus'' (=''Carcharocles'') **** †'' Otodus obliquus'' (Agassiz, 1838) **** †'' Otodus angustidens'' (Agassiz, 1843) **** †'' Otodus chubutensis'' (Agassiz, 1843) **** †''
Otodus megalodon Megalodon (''Otodus megalodon''), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. It was formerly thought to be a membe ...
'' (Agassiz, 1843) (megalodon) **** †'' Otodus auriculatus'' (Jordan, 1923) **** †''
Otodus sokolovi ''Otodus sokolovi'' is an extinct species or chronospecies of large shark in the family Otodontidae which may represent a transitional chronospecies between ''Otodus auriculatus'' and ''Otodus angustidens''. They differ from the former with a les ...
'' (Zhelezko and Kozlov, 1999) * Family Megachasmidae Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 ** Genus ''
Megachasma ''Megachasma'' is a genus of sharks. It is usually considered to be the sole genus in the distinct family Megachasmidae, though suggestion has been made that it may belong in the family Cetorhinidae, of which the basking shark is currently the so ...
'' Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 *** '' Megachasma pelagios'' Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 (megamouth shark

* Family
Mitsukurinidae Mitsukurinidae is a family of sharks with one living genus, ''Mitsukurina'', and four fossil genera: ''Anomotodon'', '' Protoscapanorhynchus'', ''Scapanorhynchus'', and '' Woellsteinia'', though some taxonomists consider ''Scapanorhynchus'' to b ...
D. S. Jordan, 1898 ** Genus ''
Mitsukurina ''Mitsukurina'' is a genus of mackerel shark in the family Mitsukurinidae. It contains one extant species, the goblin shark (''M. owstoni'') and more extinct species. The genus was described by American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan in 18 ...
'' D. S. Jordan, 1898 *** ''
Mitsukurina owstoni The goblin shark (''Mitsukurina owstoni'') is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old. This pink-skinned anima ...
'' D. S. Jordan, 1898 (goblin shark

* Family Sand shark, Odontaspididae Müller & Henle, 1839 ** Genus '' Carcharias'' Rafinesque, 1810 *** ''
Carcharias taurus The sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy sho ...
'' Rafinesque, 1810 (sand tiger shark

** Genus ''
Odontaspis ''Odontaspis'' (from el, ὀδούς 'tooth') and el, ἀσπίς 'shield') is a genus of sand shark with two extant species. Description Bigeye sand tigers can reach a length of about and smalltooth sand tigers of about 4.1 m. They ...
''
Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...
, 1838
*** '' Odontaspis ferox'' ( Risso, 1810) (smalltooth sand tiger

*** '' Bigeye sand tiger, Odontaspis noronhai'' ( Maul, 1955) (bigeye sand tiger

* Family Crocodile shark, Pseudocarchariidae Compagno, 1973 ** Genus '' Pseudocarcharias'' Cadenat, 1963 *** '' Pseudocarcharias kamoharai'' (
Matsubara is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,811 in 57351 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsubara is located in the cente ...
, 1936)
(crocodile shark

* Family †
Cardabiodontidae Cardabiodontidae is an extinct family of lamniform sharks. Confirmed members of this family include ''Cardabiodon'' and '' Dwardius'', both which are genera which existed in Australia, North America, and Europe during the Late Cretaceous period. ...
(extinct, Late Cretaceous period) ** Genus † Cardabiodon Siverson, 1999 *** †'' Cardabiodon ricki'' Siverson, 1999 *** †'' Cardabiodon venator'' Siverson and Lindgren, 2005 * Family † Cretoxyrhinidae (extinct, Late Cretaceous period) ** Genus †'' Cretoxyrhina''
Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...
, 1843
*** †'' Cretoxyrhina vraconensis'' Zhelezko, 2000 *** †'' Cretoxyrhina denticulata'' Glückman, 1957 *** †'' Cretoxyrhina agassizensis'' Underwood and Cumbaa, 2010 *** †''
Cretoxyrhina mantelli ''Cretoxyrhina'' (; meaning 'Cretaceous sharp-nose') is an extinct genus of large mackerel shark that lived about 107 to 73 million years ago during the late Albian to late Campanian of the Late Cretaceous. The type species, ''C. mantelli'', is m ...
'' Agassiz, 1843 (ginsu shark) *Family † Serratolamnidae **Genus †'' Serratolamna''


Sustainable consumption

In 2010, Greenpeace International added the shortfin mako shark (''Isurus oxyrinchus'') to its seafood red list. Greenpeace International Seafood Red list


References


Further reading

* Compagno, Leonard (2002

Volume 2, FAO Species Catalogue, Rome. . *


External links



{{Taxonbar , from=Q224470 Extant Early Cretaceous first appearances Cartilaginous fish orders Taxa named by Lev Berg