What is the rostrum on the shark?
The rostrum is the pointed snout at the anterior end. This tapered tip at the anterior end helps overcome water resistance in swimming. The eyes are prominent in sharks and are very similar to the eyes of man. A transparent cornea covers and protects the eye.
What type of tail does a dogfish have?
The spiny dogfish has dorsal fins, no anal fin, and white spots along its back. The caudal fin has asymmetrical lobes, forming a heterocercal tail. The species name acanthias refers to the shark’s two spines.
What are the parts of a shark?
Gill Openings Most sharks have five openings, but some come with a set of about six to seven of these.
What mouth position does the dogfish shark have?
The spiny dogfish is a small shark with a slender, flattened head, blunt, tapered snout, and a small crescent-shaped mouth. The teeth of the spiny dogfish are small with sharp points that bend outward. The teeth are organized into several rows and are used for grinding, rather than tearing.
What are shark spiracles?
Many sharks, especially bottom-dwelling species, have paired openings called spiracles located between the eye and the gill slits. Spiracles are used to take in water and ventilate the gills, even while the shark may be feeding or at rest on the bottom.
Where is the ventral portion of the shark?
The ventral fin, or the pelvic fin, is found in pairs along the underneath side of a shark’s body. Ventral fins are usually located along the side of the body between the pectoral fins and the tail and are smaller than the pectoral fins.
What is the classification of a dogfish shark?
Squalus acanthias
Spiny dogfish/Scientific names
Is dogfish a type of shark?
Atlantic spiny dogfish are small sharks with a long and complex history in U.S. waters. Wielding two venomous spines and growing as long as 4 feet, Atlantic spiny dogfish can often be seen hunting prey in dog-like packs (hence the dog-like name).
What is the body structure of a shark?
Body structure They have a sharply pointed conical snout, large pectoral and dorsal fins, and a strong crescent-shaped tail. Only the belly of white sharks is whitish. They have a contrasting pattern of dark blue, gray, or brown on their back and sides.
What is one of the most recognized parts of a shark?
The most recognizable shark feature may be its fin. Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish, which are 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. A shark’s appearance vries widely depending on the species.
How do you identify dogfish?
The body of the spiny dogfish is elongate and slender. The head is pointed. The color is slate gray to brownish on top, sometimes with white spots, and fading to white below. It has spines at the beginning of both dorsal fins; these spines are mildly poisonous and provide a defense for the spiny dogfish.
What does a Spiracle look like?
The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fish. In the primitive jawless fish, the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar to the other gill opening. Blowholes in cetaceans are also sometimes referred to as spiracles.