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 ...

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 The Lamnidae are the 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 word ''la ...

). It includes some of the most familiar species of sharks, such as the

great white Great White is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records ''Once Bitten'' (1987) and '' ...Twice Shy'' (1989), and those albums ...

, 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 Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays, as well as deep-branching vertebrates such as lampreys. In con ...

, eyes without

nictitating membrane The nictitating membrane (from Latin '' nictare'', to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye from the medial canthus to protect and moisten it while maintaining vision. All An ...

s, 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

planktivore A planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Planktivorous organisms encompass a range of some of the planet's smallest to largest multicellular animals in both the present day and i ...

s. 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 Carcharhiniformes , the ground sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as catsharks, swellsharks, and the sandbar shark. Members of this order are characterized by the presen ...

, 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 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 ...

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 Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 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 Anacoracidae is a family of extinct mackerel sharks that lived during the Cretaceous. It includes four valid genera: '' Nanocorax'', '' Ptychocorax'', '' Scindocorax'', and ''Squalicorax''. Two previously-included genera, ''Galeocorax'' and ''P ...

Capetta, 1987 (extinct,

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 ''Pseudocorax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains six valid species that have been found in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America. It was formerly assigned to the family ...

'' ** Genus †''

Galeocorax ''Galeocorax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains a single valid species, ''G. jaekeli'', that has been found in Europe and North America North America is a continent in the N ...

'' ** Genus †''

Scindocorax ''Scindocorax'' is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It contains a single valid species, ''S. novimexicanus'', from the Point Lookout Sandstone of New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( ...

'' ** 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 reidentif ...

'' *Family † Aquilolamnidae 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 Cetorhinidae is a family of filter feeding mackerel sharks, whose members are commonly known as basking sharks. It includes the extant basking shark, ''Cetorhinus'', as well as two extinct genera, '' Caucasochasma'' and ''Keasius ''Keasius'' ...

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 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. ...

'' ( Gunnerus, 1765) (basking shark

***†'' Cetorhinus huddlestoni'' (Welton, 2014) ***†'' Cetorhinus piersoni'' (Welton, 2015) ** Genus †''

Keasius ''Keasius'' is an extinct genus of basking sharks that lived during the Cenozoic. It contains four valid species, which have been found in North America, Europe, and Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated ...

'' (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

J. P. Müller and Henle, 1838 (white sharks) *** Genus ''

Carcharodon ''Carcharodon'' () is a genus of sharks within the family Lamnidae. The only extant member is the great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''). Hubell's white shark (''Carcharodon hubbelli'') is an extinct member of this genus. Megalodon ...

'' 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 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoological ...

) (great white shark

**** †''

Carcharodon hubbelli ''Carcharodon hubbelli'', also known as Hubbell's white shark, is an extinct species of white shark that evolved between 8 and 5 million years ago during the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene epochs. The shark is a transitional species, showing inte ...

'' Ehret, Macfadden, Jones, Devries, Foster & Salas-Gismondi, 2012 (Hubbell's white shark) **** †''

Carcharodon caifassii ''Carcharodon'' () is a genus of sharks within the family Lamnidae. The only extant member is the great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''). Hubell's white shark (''Carcharodon hubbelli'') is an extinct member of this genus. Megalodon ...

'' Lawley, 1876 *** Genus ''

Isurus ''Isurus'' is a genus of mackerel sharks in the family Lamnidae, commonly known as the mako sharks. Description The two living species are the common shortfin mako shark (''I. oxyrinchus'') and the rare longfin mako shark (''I. paucus''). They ...

, 1810 **** '' Isurus oxyrinchus'' Rafinesque, 1810 (shortfin mako

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

*** Genus '' Lamna'' Cuvier, 1816 **** '' Lamna ditropis'' Hubbs & Follett, 1947 (salmon shark

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

** Family †

Otodontidae Otodontidae is an extinct family of sharks belonging to the order Lamniformes. Its members have been described as megatoothed sharks. They lived from the Early Cretaceous to the Pliocene, and included genera such as '' Carcharocles'' and '' Otod ...

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 ''Cretalamna'' is a genus of extinct otodontid shark that lived from the latest Early Cretaceous to Eocene epoch (about 103 to 46 million years ago). It is considered by many to be the ancestor of the largest sharks to have ever lived, '' Otodu ...

'' *** Genus †''

Otodus ''Otodus'' is an extinct genus of mackerel shark which lived from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch. The name ''Otodus'' comes from Ancient Greek (, meaning "ear") and (, meaning "tooth") – thus, "ear-shaped tooth". Anatomy This shark is ...

'' (=''Carcharocles'') **** †''

Otodus obliquus ''Otodus'' is an extinct genus of mackerel shark which lived from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch. The name ''Otodus'' comes from Ancient Greek (, meaning "ear") and (, meaning "tooth") – thus, "ear-shaped tooth". Anatomy This shark is ...

'' (Agassiz, 1838) **** †''

Otodus angustidens ''Otodus angustidens'' is a species of prehistoric megatoothed sharks in the genus '' Otodus'', which lived during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs about 33 to 22 million years ago. This shark is related to another extinct megatoothed shark, ''O ...

'' (Agassiz, 1843) **** †''

Otodus chubutensis ''Otodus chubutensis'', meaning "ear-shaped tooth of Chubut", from Ancient Greek ὠτ (ōt, meaning "ear") and ὀδούς (odoús, meaning "tooth") – thus, "ear-shaped tooth", is an extinct species of prehistoric megatoothed sharks in the gen ...

'' (Agassiz, 1843) **** †''

'' (Agassiz, 1843) (megalodon) **** †''

Otodus auriculatus ''Otodus auriculatus'' is an extinct species of large sharks in the genus '' Otodus'' of the family Otodontidae, closely related to the sharks of the genus '' Otodus'', and also closely related to the later species megalodon. Its teeth were large ...

'' (Jordan, 1923) **** †'' Otodus sokolovi'' (Zhelezko and Kozlov, 1999) * Family Megachasmidae

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 ** Genus '' Megachasma'' 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 ...

'' 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 ''Carcharias'' is a genus of sand tiger sharks belonging to the family Odontaspididae. Once bearing many prehistoric species, all have gone extinct with the exception of the critically endangered sand tiger shark. Description ''Carcharias'' ar ...

'' 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, 1838 *** '' Odontaspis ferox'' ( Risso, 1810) (smalltooth sand tiger

*** '' Bigeye sand tiger, Odontaspis noronhai'' (

Maul A maul may refer to any number of large hammers, including: * War hammer, a medieval weapon * Post maul, a type of sledgehammer * Spike maul, railroad hand tool * Splitting maul, heavy wood-splitting tool resembling both axe and hammer People * A ...

, 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 cen ...

, 1936) (crocodile shark

* Family † Cardabiodontidae (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 ''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 *** †'' 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 The shortfin mako shark (; ; ''Isurus oxyrinchus''), also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark (''Isurus paucus''). The shortfin mako c ...

(''Isurus oxyrinchus'') to its seafood red list. Greenpeace International Seafood Red list

References

External links

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

Species

Sustainable consumption

References

Further reading

External links