They always ask “what is a shark?” But they never ask *how is a shark?*

@elitemation

4 жыл бұрын

When is a shark

@Kuhneesseur

3 жыл бұрын

Is a shark

@user-bg4cy9rx4w

3 жыл бұрын

Who Is a Shark?

@plaguedoctor_139

3 жыл бұрын

Are you a shark?

@millerwhale

3 жыл бұрын

Where is a shark?

Q: what is a shark A: big hungry fish

@samuelmatheson9655

5 жыл бұрын

Big ocean Nom Nom fish

@daspletoraptor8366

5 жыл бұрын

No

@xenolegend2767

5 жыл бұрын

@Chewy Ltd Or hungry

@Robert399

5 жыл бұрын

Oh so tunas and salmons and mackerels and swordfish are sharks then?

@PhongTran-uc6mk

5 жыл бұрын

A miserable pile of cartilage.

Fun fact, us humans are more closely related to tuna and other bony fish, than sharks are to them

@theshamanite

5 жыл бұрын

What's funny is you could be saying US humans here. But I got the fact.

@sebastianortega1938

5 жыл бұрын

The plural of fish is fish.

@timothymoore8549

5 жыл бұрын

I also like the fact that we are more removed from marsupials than hummingbirds are from T-Rex

@therealzilch

5 жыл бұрын

@@sebastianortega1938 Not always. You can talk about different families of fishes.

@bardobro

5 жыл бұрын

@@therealzilch sorry, that's false, but crocodiles are more closely related to birds (surviving dinosaurs) than they are to lizards.

Now I know that sharks are covered in tiny teeth. This is ok.

@johnminehan1148

5 жыл бұрын

Dermal denticles, neat thing . . . .

@Giganfan2k1

4 жыл бұрын

It would be cool covered in teeth.

@sendmorerum8241

4 жыл бұрын

And teeth are the only scale-derived things humans have.

@s0akmyeyesinbleachplease965

4 жыл бұрын

Crunchy

@foreverGM.006

4 жыл бұрын

Did you not learn that in 1at grade?

As an Australian I feel I need to say "That's not a shark. This is a shark." (holds up an adult Great White shark)

@kaydenvandeyar9963

4 жыл бұрын

Philip Leitch Cape Town agrees

@blairberry6257

3 жыл бұрын

Omg I feel this 🤣

@Samurai78420

3 жыл бұрын

And that's reason #1,475,349 that you Aussies are the toughest fuc*ks on the planet, lol

@blairberry6257

3 жыл бұрын

Iceland "look at this big lazy poisonous one!" *holds up a greenland/sleeper shark* (We also eat them but fermented, it's disgusting)

@kimbritain8227

3 жыл бұрын

As an Australian, I can confirm

Your skill at explaining things is seriously unmatched. Your videos made me start reading more, appreciating nature and history more, and have interested to the point where I ended up recently changing my college major from neuroscience to marine biology! :) thank you for the amazing content Ben G Thomas your community greatly appreciates it

@BenGThomas

5 жыл бұрын

Wow thank you so much, I had no idea our videos could have such an impact! :)

@cristianolaboureur5999

4 жыл бұрын

Have you also awakened some kind of punchy boi spirit that can do whatever you want by any chance?

@ItsMinticle

4 жыл бұрын

@@cristianolaboureur5999 lmaooo

@kyrab7914

Жыл бұрын

How's the degree going?

Biology just gets crazy sometimes. Or rather, nearly all the time

@dronillon2578

5 жыл бұрын

This happens, when you are getting knowledge in pieces. Look at astronomy nomenclature. As we are understanding more and more the names we come up earlier stop being accurate and intuitive.

@nulllex0099

5 жыл бұрын

@@dronillon2578 Aye, I can see that. It's just that I'm nothing more than an amateur with an interest in taxonomy, that studied for IT. In my field, ambiguity is the one bane we seek to purge at every turn, so looking at the other sciences that have been refined for centuries can get a bit mind boggling at times.

@dronillon2578

5 жыл бұрын

@@nulllex0099 I have an IT background too, so I see your point. In my opinion, the difference here is, as You have mentioned, the time scales on which new discoveries are made. Physics and Mathematics have been researched for millennia, while IT is in decades range. In the former case it has been many generations, in the latter just a few if any. Plus IT builds upon Physics and Mathematics. But I agree, sometimes the naming in sciences can be very confusing. Specially when you are not an expert in that field. It does not stop me in trying to understand the fascinating world around us.

@nulllex0099

5 жыл бұрын

@@dronillon2578 that's a terrific way to put it. Really, the death of curiosity is the death of advancing. It's just that, as far as personal feelings go, I'd just prefer it if it all were so tidy and neatly classified. Or if you want the OOP analogy, if I could run the whole script without raising exceptions. Alas, feelings don't really have a say in the matter. Still, funny to find someone else in IT in a biology video. You wouldn't happen to know a rather easy project that involved Big Data processing, would you?

@dronillon2578

5 жыл бұрын

@@nulllex0099 I would want it tidy and classified too. The trouble is that once you start renaming things, you create confusion between old and new texts/data. So unless you can process it all at once (when we and all our knowledge is completely digital perhaps?), you might create more issues than solve. Or you would have to create the right names from the beginning, which is pretty impossible to do when you know almost nothing on the subject yet. Yeah, I have no idea if/when I will use the knowledge about sharks acquired here, LOL. It is amazing non the less though. Strangely enough, the more I learn about physics and space exploration, the more amazing and precious the life around us seems to me. Sorry, BDP is not my cup of tea, Im more of a user side kind of guy.

"What is a shark, but a miserable pile of fishes." Dracula, propably.

@poopsiepop4179

3 жыл бұрын

UNDERRATED

@axelnero23

3 жыл бұрын

*Sharkula

What is a shark? I've a better question, where is a shark? I've even a better question *why is a shark?*

@tylersaurusakro

5 жыл бұрын

But no one asks how is shark? *sad shark noise*

@timeshark8727

5 жыл бұрын

... sup... ... ... right here -_( ' -' )_- ... ... ... because we're awesome... duh thank you Tylersaurus Akro... we're depressed... fining and bad press will do that.

@theshamanite

5 жыл бұрын

Y'all need ice cream.

@Zak-ob5ze

5 жыл бұрын

Why? Because of evolution

@killed2deth736

5 жыл бұрын

Nice one got that reference👍

6:18 Barber: whatchu want fam Stetacanthus: ever seen a ironing board? Barber: say no more

@Ahonya666

3 жыл бұрын

I need to know the purpose of that "ironing board" 🤣

@officersoulknight6321

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ahonya666 ironing

@Ahonya666

3 жыл бұрын

@@officersoulknight6321 try to iron that shark if it was alive, it has the same effect as your joke

@0b100

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ahonya666 I thinl they went to the underbelly of larger animals & used it scrape or cut open the animal to feed, possibly in groups to be more effective.

@iateoutarianagrande9628

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ahonya666 This mad for what?

"What exactly a fish is" Sounds like something a fish would say.

"We initially thought rays were a member of the shark group, however we revised our classification when we realized that rays look nothing like sharks."

@bushwhackedonvhs

3 жыл бұрын

No, but they’re cute lil funny guys

@TinyLordCthulhu

3 жыл бұрын

@@bushwhackedonvhs not when they sting you

@drk321

8 күн бұрын

Rays are in the same class as sharks (phylogeny). I mean, if you want to get technical, sharks are related to bananas. Distantly but still related.

Happy Shark Week!!! My favorite shark is the goblin shark. (I guess Helicoprion is not a shark like I thought but I still love them of course).

@empy___

5 жыл бұрын

Its a dirty rat -fish

@garethbaus5471

5 жыл бұрын

I remember one time in high school my AP Gov class was supposed to be studying for the final when someone broke out laughing. It turns out he had been reading the wikipedia page for goblin sharks and someone had put a series of spoilers for an avengers movie randomly in one part of it.

@BrinyGale

4 жыл бұрын

Megamouth! They look friendly. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I've always found the whole cartilaginous group fascinating, especially since they always impress on me the feeling of 'ancientness' in regard to their persistent vertebrate characteristics. This video only made me appreciate them as a group even more.

@bluehornet197

5 жыл бұрын

Well considering sharks have been around for over 400 million years kinda does make them ancient but arthropods are a lot older

Easy! Sharks=danger fish

@Indoraptoad

5 жыл бұрын

Wrong, they are murder torpedoes.

@daspletoraptor8366

5 жыл бұрын

No

@robokill387

5 жыл бұрын

most aren't dangerous, though.

@MaddysinLeigh

5 жыл бұрын

Nature's Compendium I don’t know marlin are pretty dangerous too and they’re not sharks...

@timeshark8727

5 жыл бұрын

actually, most sharks are harmless to humans

In my Ichthyology exam we were asked to find as many differences between Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes . This brought back memories

@drk321

8 күн бұрын

You probably only found a few differences, right? Basically skeleton, digestive tract, reproductive method? Slight differences in morphology? What else?

@GeneralKatarn

8 күн бұрын

@drk321 other things like an air bladder for buoyancy and sometimes even a second respiratory mechanism, soft and hard rays in their flexible fins and various types of teeth that some families like Sparidae have such as incisors, canines and molars in the same jaw structure. These are a few properties that Osteichthyians have that Chondrychthians don't possess among a few that I remember. Judging this was 3 years ago I think I did pretty good remembering the answers I gave in my final exam comparing the two kinds of fish.

@drk321

8 күн бұрын

@@GeneralKatarn Sounds like you did.

I thought I knew what a shark was till you confused the hell out of me LOL

Q : what's a shark A : a live hungry torpedo

If it jumps out of the water and asks you to suck its claspers, it's _probably_ a shark.

@billstone8468

4 жыл бұрын

?

@Kay_213_

4 жыл бұрын

the F U C K

@quillpen815

4 жыл бұрын

Oh man that singing shark meme takes me back ☺️

@nottoofast

3 жыл бұрын

STOP

@daywalker3735

3 жыл бұрын

I'll suck anything for twenty bucks

So it's like a regular fish but it's 🅱️oneless

@tsopmocful1958

5 жыл бұрын

With toothy skin.

@keiferalford7961

4 жыл бұрын

First name Ivar? Ivar the Boneless..lol

@keiferalford7961

4 жыл бұрын

A plug for the Vikings..lol

@morgansboobies

4 жыл бұрын

🅱️ts 🅱️ore 🅱️han 🅱️hat 🅱️ol

@oftomatobypotato9513

4 жыл бұрын

SBBwasaight Vuong, except in their nose...

Everyone asking “what is the shark” but nobody asking “how is the shark”.

@crissis3263

3 жыл бұрын

...A...

@seawarshark6674

3 жыл бұрын

😢 true...

@filthycasual8074

3 жыл бұрын

copied

Fish : shark Mammals: dolphin Reptile : ichthyosaur

@bluehornet197

5 жыл бұрын

I always found it funny that a reptile is named with the title of fish lol as we know ichthyology is the study of fish and yet that reptile was never a fish XD

@daryanasaurus9785

5 жыл бұрын

I didn’t say reptile was a fish

@bluehornet197

5 жыл бұрын

@@daryanasaurus9785 i know you didn't i didn't say you did lol i said i find it funny that the reptile basically has "fish" in its name i am pretty sure icthyosomething is the Latin name for fish its just something thats always made me laugh

@melissadyson161

4 жыл бұрын

James Quinn nerd lol, what a way to say “you seem smarter than me and I’m threatened by your intelligence”

@bluehornet197

4 жыл бұрын

@Womb Raider an observation makes me a nerd? 🙄🙄🙄

Thanks Ben, brilliant research. And yet, now I'm more confused than ever. This may require more than 8 minutes to absorb. They've been evolving for 500 M years, so I think that's a reasonable estimate. Love your work.

I was reading the thumbnail and Instead of reading "what is a shark" I read "what is a SHREK" I am spending to much time on the internet

Can you do a video about how and why Coelocanths went from inhabiting freshwater environments to the deep sea?

@bluehornet197

5 жыл бұрын

Adaptation and natural selection lol it is as simple as that 4 simple words

@jakeryker546

4 жыл бұрын

The got pushed by an Ancestor of Patrick Star off a cliff under the sea~

"what is a shark?" * slams table * shark is shark!!!

Been binging this channel for the last couple of weeks. Had to sub! I love the content and the details you provide with the objective view point while still covering the controversies and the reasons for them. Keep up the great work! I can't get enough of ancient fauna and you're definitely scratching this itch I've had for a long time. Especially loving the marine life content, but I just love sinking my teeth into the unknown! There are only so many documentaries on the usual suspects I can consume, but you've covered creatures I never knew existed as well as giving me info on those we did that other outlets just aren't interested in covering. Wishing you much success :D

A shark is a fish with pointy teeth and the stuff that is inside our ears and nose plus only one fucking bone and it is the jaw...... Yes the fucking jaw Edit:227 likes wow thanks guys!!! Edit2:listen this i a fucking joke dont be commenting about the spelling!!!!

@graboidfan31

5 жыл бұрын

Sounds like the way a children's book would explain it. Very good and simple explanation.

@RavenIsAnArtist

5 жыл бұрын

Yyyeeeeaaaahhh

@daspletoraptor8366

5 жыл бұрын

No

@birdwatchingwithdrrajasaur4410

5 жыл бұрын

And stranger bonners

@MrBonners

5 жыл бұрын

With attitude.

Reported for nudity because you're never fully dressed without a smile.

@mastercharlesdiltardino8058

5 жыл бұрын

I live in a town where hippies can walk around naked.

@batspam1013

5 жыл бұрын

Master Charles Diltardino Florida?

@leecrotty658

4 жыл бұрын

Master Charles Diltardino where’s that. I’m interested in researching it

@mastercharlesdiltardino8058

4 жыл бұрын

@@leecrotty658 euegene oregon

@cristianolaboureur5999

4 жыл бұрын

@bryan diaz varela lmao

Could you do a video on Glyphis, the true river Sharks

@raaston9761

5 жыл бұрын

or bull sharks

@Deform-2024

5 жыл бұрын

@@raaston9761 Bulls Aren't fully freshwater Sharks, only partially.

I just wanted to say thank you for you're amazing content! I just recently learned of your channel, and I can't hardly wait to get home after work so I can binge watch your videos until I finally fall asleep. It's easily the biggest reason for my daily fatigue and exhaustion! But I LOVE it! I'm like a kid on Christmas morning, giddy with excitement. Once again, thank you for this. You definatly have a lifelong subscriber! Anyway, I need to get back to the video. 👍

Helicoprion the imposter

@xxxxxx-uh5pu

5 жыл бұрын

as an ancient lineage, it had the basic form long before the great white. I am not sure whether it had it before the ancestors of the great white, but it goes way back.

@bfkick5971

5 жыл бұрын

It was shark like that was the point

@LarsTonguesInAspix

4 жыл бұрын

sneak 100 deception - 100 Shark -1

@Gasmaskmax

3 жыл бұрын

get out of my head

I've often wondered about this subject. Thanks Ben 😉

@theshamanite

5 жыл бұрын

I've found that the best Bens post to KZread. I'm letting them down, but all in relativity.

Those dang saqualeans... no motivation. They are quite content to live in squalor.

4:08 "S-scientist sir? I-I want to be classified as a true shark! I-If that's ok! D : "

so glad i found ur channel! keep up the good work!

What is a Shark? A miserable pile of cartilage! Well, they *are* cartilaginous fish, after all...

@sorubro2193

4 жыл бұрын

Came to post this Havatchu

One of these days future scientists are going to unearth the remains of some of the strange people I have seen shopping at Walmart and do a "What is a Human?" video.

@soybasedjeremy3653

5 жыл бұрын

It's a Wal Martasurus sapiens.

@tsopmocful1958

5 жыл бұрын

A plastic producing beast.

Less than nine minutes and more information on sharks than Discovery Channel ever.

@jtktomb8598

5 жыл бұрын

Exactly

Commenting for the algorithm, I think this was like the perfect amount of information to not drive away people with no knowledge of this topic, nor bore people who do.

Will comparing DNA help more rather than appearances?

@maximillianlylat1589

5 жыл бұрын

Yes because convergent evolution is a thing and can cause a lot of confusion on what is related and what is not

@GumaroRVillamil

5 жыл бұрын

Modern taxonomy is based both in cladistics and genetics

@theshamanite

5 жыл бұрын

@@GumaroRVillamil Probably helps when all your ancient cats have similar skeletons.

@MichaelSHartman

5 жыл бұрын

@E-best agressive agressor The Sycamore tree and the lotus water plant are related, but the platypus and duck are not.

@bluehornet197

5 жыл бұрын

@@MichaelSHartman thats because a platypus is a mammal and a bird isnt LOL 2 VERY different species thats like saying the echidna is related to birds cause it lays eggs 🤣🤣🤣🤣

But a miserable little pile of razor sharp teeth?But enough talk,have at you!

@melvinshine9841

5 жыл бұрын

I was hoping someone would do this. XD

@SharkNinjaBlueStar

5 жыл бұрын

_Goddamnit, you beat me to it._

Who needs a textbook when I have Ben G. I'll learn everything from these vids

This is AWESOME keep up the work and thank you for your service :D

Shark, or not Shark, that's the question.

I'm a simple man... I see an acanthodian, I click

What an interesting video! I learned alot of new things about sharks, and understand the species a lot better now. Thanks!

Really enjoyed this. I'd never thought about what constitutes a shark before. So sorry you've had to go to including ads. Thank you for another great video.

@richardanderson8696

5 жыл бұрын

I hope they get some income from ads. They deserve it.

What I learned from this: if fish spoke a language it would be latin and that every shark that you think is a shark isn't a shark but it is also a shark

Ben G Tomas: What is a shark? Me, a dumb smart ass: well you see, a shark is like a normal fish but not quite

Really nice! And was very well explained!

I have a jet black screw shaped, crested horn shark egg case, that I found on a relatively remote Australian east coast beach. I love it.

Don’t call yourself stupid! Say “mistakenly” instead. It’s ok to make mistakes ❤️

@chemieju6305

5 жыл бұрын

But it's also ok to be stupid, especially if you realize it and use the oportunity to learn more.

@chemieju6305

5 жыл бұрын

@@mastercharlesdiltardino8058 if you remain stupid out of choice. And unlike the gay, ignorant people are quite dangerous.

@dumbnoodle8327

4 жыл бұрын

You cant stop me

@mastercharlesdiltardino8058

4 жыл бұрын

@@chemieju6305 ha read a history book

So for my space marines i want a chambered small intestine, good to know

@marshallmccann4224

4 жыл бұрын

That way they know no fear

@asmodai2025

3 жыл бұрын

Great idea!

Again, really interesting - thank you, mate!

Back in the early eighties, I worked for a summer as a long line fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. I will be the first to tell you, that sharks are a very diverse and complicated grouping of organisms. And those are just the currently existing species.

I’ve been waiting my whole life for sharks to become ICONIC! Yas the evolution is real!

A shark is any fish that can make you involuntarily pee yourself while scuba diving.

Nice job! Fantastic video.

A shark is like like a really big fish with lots of teeth and it's like "raaaagghh I gonna eat yah!" and it does. They have a cartilaginous rather than a bony skeleton as well and no swim bladder so they will sink if they stop swimming.

What is a Shark? Hungry Shark Evolution: Am i a joke to you? We had Godzilla duh.

@ethanhernandez3663

5 жыл бұрын

I was thinking about that game too. Like

Sharks are the marmots of the sea, change my mind.

@teathesilkwing7616

5 жыл бұрын

Hail Giratina The true god no, marmots are the sharks of the land

@hailgiratinathetruegod7564

5 жыл бұрын

@@teathesilkwing7616 The SharkSea is the Marmot of the land

@daspletoraptor8366

5 жыл бұрын

Carcharodontosaurs are sharks of the land.

@hailgiratinathetruegod7564

5 жыл бұрын

@@daspletoraptor8366 you spelled Garchomp in a weird way

@_robustus_

5 жыл бұрын

Change is the mind of the sea, shark my marmots.

5:02 Wow, astonishing photo. Great video, as usual :)

thanks for this info, pretty interesting.

Hey, Vsauce, Michael here, what is a shark?

@cleanerben9636

5 жыл бұрын

But what if, sharks walked on land...

@roughsharkangular2034

5 жыл бұрын

CleanerBen Or do they?

@cleanerben9636

5 жыл бұрын

@@roughsharkangular2034....😮

@roughsharkangular2034

5 жыл бұрын

CleanerBen Theres actually a small species if sharks that frequently gets out of the water and crawls in rocky surfaces to hunt small animals that live there. This species can stay out of the water for 10 min something like that. and as always thanks for watching

@roughsharkangular2034

5 жыл бұрын

CleanerBen Epaulette shark

Sawfish and spade fish were classified as rays when I was a kid. Now, I believe they are considered sharks. But, it's a new week, so who knows.

@ericlynch3150

4 жыл бұрын

Haha. Damn. Identity crisis much?

Not stupidly included, just mistakenly! People underestimate how important it is to talk to yourself kindly.

cannot possibly explain the joy the little guys at 6:40 brought me

They’ve got more efficient intestines than us I thought we were the master race it’s not faaaaiiiiir!

What is a shark! *tosses glass of wine* A miserable little pile of teeth, but enough talk, have at you! *teleports in a purple cloud *

Happy Shark Week!

Sharks & related cartilaginous fish from the Silurian-Permian are up there with Mesozoic crocodilians in how bizarre and at the same time somewhat recognizable they were able to become over the eons, they are infinitely interesting to me :D

What is a shark? Awesome. Peer reviewed, scientific fact.

I'll do you one better. Why is a Shark?

But how do you make a ray?? Take a shark, and make it flat :D

Love your content! As always, thanks for doing the heavy lifting and providing the information to us in a concise and digestible manner! 😀

What defines fish? Is this going to be another philosophical question of what constitutes a fish? Or what defines something in general? Hmmmm

@mastercharlesdiltardino8058

5 жыл бұрын

A fish cannot be drowned as easily as a puppy but more easily than a rock.

I like the mako shark, he is tiny af yet so agressive so he is basically how i imagine shark version of tiny yandere anime girl

@daspletoraptor8366

5 жыл бұрын

No.

@timeshark8727

5 жыл бұрын

um... mako get like 15-18 ft long...

It was confusing but I loved it. Great job guys

Great video!

To bad we keep hunting them😭

@carlosandleon

5 жыл бұрын

depends which one, milksharks are a very sustainable food source

@adamd6648

5 жыл бұрын

Carlos Leon yea how long will that last until their numbers decrease drastically.

@carlosandleon

5 жыл бұрын

@@adamd6648 That's why it's called sustainable, because the numbers don't decrease. The reproductive rate is high enough to make it sustainable. I am very against sharkfinning. Have been all my life. But with milksharks i see no problem with it. Since their numbers Do not and I repeat Do Not go down.

@carlosandleon

5 жыл бұрын

@@adamd6648 Also fishing has bee limited as well. So if anyone is looking to try sharkfin soup. Make sure it's a milkshark

@adamd6648

5 жыл бұрын

Carlos Leon mhm perhaps it’s just my lack of knowledge on sea food i just don’t agree with killing sharks at all we have lost so much already and the numbers keep decreasing i am very sensitive about the topic.

we need to look at a new word for all the "fishes" because they're different

@tsopmocful1958

5 жыл бұрын

Swimmy things with a backbone. Herps and mammals are just strange land dwelling fish aside from the ones that went back to the water.

A lot of great pics of species I've never seen

Great video

I don't mean to get political, but ｗｈｏｍ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｕｃｋ　ｉｓ　ｓｈａｒｋ

A miserable fish of secret.

Waiting for the day he says "but first we need to clarify what is actualy a (whatever animal) and that is easy" A shark for me: swiming thing that somwhat loks like a shark and i dont want to stick my hand in its mouth Ray = stomped staby shark

"there are some things that are not sharks" Love you guys :')

They always ask "what is shark" but never "how is shark" 😔 this is so sad can we hit 10 likes

Nobody: Ben G thomas: What is a shark?

@SevenPr1me

5 жыл бұрын

How does it feel to be so unoriginal and so uncreative that you make this comment?

@xpertrex5991

5 жыл бұрын

@@SevenPr1me who do u think u r

Happy to see you doing a video on murder torpedos

I honestly didn't know sharks had scales. I thought it was skin similar to dolphins. Well, you learn something every day, I guess.

Almost 100k!

Very neat, love to know about sharks, their cousins and the look alikes

what is a shark? a miserable pile of secrets!

BGT: "What is a Shark?..." Me, an -idiot- _intellectual:_ H A N G R Y F I S H B O Y E

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 Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the rays. However, the term "shark" has also been used for extinct members of the subclass Elasmobranchii outside the Selachimorpha, such as Cladoselache and Xenacanthus, as well as other Chondrichthyes such as the holocephalid eugenedontidans. Under this broader definition, the earliest known sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago.[3] Acanthodians are often referred to as "spiny sharks"; though they are not part of Chondrichthyes proper, they are a paraphyletic assemblage leading to cartilaginous fish as a whole. Since then, sharks have diversified into over 500 species. They range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species of only 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (40 ft) in length.[4] Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few known exceptions, such as the bull shark and the river shark, which can be found in both seawater and freshwater.[5] Sharks have a covering of dermal denticles that protects their skin from damage and parasites in addition to improving their fluid dynamics. They have numerous sets of replaceable teeth.[6] Well-known species such as the tiger shark, blue shark, great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark, and hammerhead shark are apex predators-organisms at the top of their underwater food chain. Many shark populations are threatened by human activities. Since 1970, shark populations have been reduced by 71%, mostly from overfishing.[7]

Love the title. This is what makes the internet ok a little lol

My question, was the cartilage developed as a speed advantage? I ask because it feels like most sharks can chase down prey quite easily, or was it an adaptation to combat broken bones from attacks from other animals?

My favorite topic!