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Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

Sharks & Rays

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BLOG POST Swimming With Sharks Lying in water only a foot deep, I watched the shark meander lazily through the mangrove, already exuding the confidence inherent of the supreme creature within its domain. It was hot here i...MORE STORIES


	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Do Sharks Smell in Stereo? Animals, on land and in the ocean, live in a 3-D world, and they depend on their...
	ARTICLE MORE STORIES Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) The TOPP program brought together scientists from seven countries to explore the...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Reef Sharks Repelled by People Reef sharks rarely get any love. These sharks, comprising several species, loite...

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					X-Ray Image of a Monterey Skate May 14, 2013 - 9:19AMAn X-ray image of a Monterey skate (Raja montereyensis) reveals a spine that extends like a tail out from the pelvic fin. The skeletons of skates, rays, chimaeras, and sharks are made of cartilage, rather than bone. Scientists in...

Grey Reef Shark, West New Britain, Father Reefs, Papua New Guinea

Mar 28, 2013 - 9:45AM

Gray reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are known for being active at...

Gaping Jaws of a Great White Shark

Mar 20, 2013 - 9:27AM

A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) emerges from the water's...

SPOTLIGHT


5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark CREDIT: © Mary Parrish/Smithsonian Institution 1. Respect Your Elders Sharks have a long and impressive...

Face to Face with a Tiger Shark May 25 2012 - 1:09pm What would you do if you came face to face with a shark? Brian Skerry lives for these moments and is ready with his camera. Here he is seen photographing a large tiger shark on the seafloor near the Bahamas. Read more about Life in the Field with Brian Skerry.	What is the Biggest Shark? A Chart Shows the Diversity of Shark Sizes Dec 17 2009 - 7:10pm Sharks come in all sizes. The largest is the whale shark, which has been known to get as large as 18 meters (60 feet). The smallest fits in your hand.
5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark Sep 1 2011 - 3:08pm CREDIT: © Mary Parrish/Smithsonian Institution 1. Respect Your Elders Sharks have a long and impressive lineage. Ancient sharks were cruising the ocean 400 million years ago--long before dinosaurs roamed on land. Relatives of the great white like the giant megatooth evolved more than...	Shark Ancestors Dec 17 2009 - 6:55pm Long before great white sharks appeared, much larger ancestors roamed the ocean. This giant ancient shark -- the Giant Megatooth (Carcharodon megalodon) -- was probably big enough to eat a whale.
Are Sharks Scary? Dec 18 2009 - 3:20pm What is scarier: sharks or extinction? This video from Save Our Seas puts whether we should fear sharks or they should fear us into perspective. Humans have killed killed off 95% of some shark species; now that’s scary. More about the great white shark can be found in our Great White Shark...	The Big Five of the Ocean: Exploring the Waters of East Africa Nov 21 2012 - 11:25am A whale shark swims with a diver off the coast of Southern Mozambique. Photo: Caine Delacy. When we think "Africa," we think of the "Big Five"—lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo and rhinos—that crisscross the African Savannah. Few would imagine that there could be more natural beauty on offer. But...
Sharks caught in nets Dec 17 2009 - 7:18pm Shark nets are trapping and killing dozens of sharks off the coast of South Africa. More about the great white shark can be found in our Great White Shark featured story.	Sharks Threatened by Finning Feb 2 2010 - 11:10am This photo of a freshly cut dorsal fin from a scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini), was taken in 2006 on a long-lined fishing boat in Cocos Island, 300 miles off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Cocos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the home to one of the world's richest...
Seafood for Thought Nov 18 2010 - 4:49pm Sunday, November 21 marks World Fisheries Day, an annual occasion observed in many fishing communities around the world. It’s a great opportunity—even for those of us who do not fish for a living—to pause and reflect on the importance of maintaining healthy fisheries.	TOPP cartoon of Omoo Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Omoo, a Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias), carries a satellite tag that sends information daily about her movements across the Pacific. Follow her migration real-time. More about the great white shark can be found in our Great White Shark featured story.
Shark Senses Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Sharks have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators - keeping populations of prey species in check. Removing...	Breaching Sequence Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Great White Sharks breach to hunt -- with split-second timing they grab an unsuspecting seal or sea lion in one swift snatch. Follow the action in this slideshow. Learn more about the great white shark in the Great White Shark section.
Ancient Great White Shark Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am A scientific illustration of the most powerful fish of its time, Carcharodon megalodon, which swam the ocean 30 million years ago. This shark may have reached a size of 20 meters/66 feet. Meet other ancient top predators and modern great white sharks.	Measuring a Skate on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am How does this skate (Bathyraja richardsoni) measure up? Researchers use underwater equipment to estimate its size. The marks on the meter-long scale bars are 10 cm apart. The yellow ribbons show which way the current is flowing on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Cookie-cutter Shark Dec 21 2012 - 11:33am Ever heard of a cookie-cutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis)? They look like your average shark—sort of menacing and streamlined—but their name comes from how they feed. They eat smaller animals (like squid) whole, but also take large, round cookie-cutter shaped bites out of larger animals, such as...	Tagging and Tracking Animals Underwater May 16 2012 - 4:35pm How do we know where ocean animals swim day and night? Scientists are getting snapshots into the daily lives of whales, sharks, and even fish by tagging the animals to track their movements.