What are the key characteristics of elasmobranchs?

Characteristics of Elasmobranchs

  • Skeleton is made of cartilage rather than bone.
  • Five to seven gill openings on each side.
  • Rigid dorsal fins (and spines if present)
  • Spiracles to aid in breathing.
  • Placoid scales (dermal denticles)
  • The upper jaw of elasmobranchs is not fused to their skull.

What are differences between elasmobranchii and holocephali?

What differentiates Holocephalans and Elasmobranchs? The main differences between these two subclasses are the structure of their gills and how they grow in the embryo. Holocephali has four gill slits with a gill cover (an operculum), while Elasmobranchs have five to seven external gill slits with no gill cover.

What is special about the Wobbegong?

Known for its flat body, beautiful freckled coloration and fleshy projections on its head, the ornate wobbegong is one of the world’s most unique sharks. The head projections are believed to function primarily as camouflage, which helps them ambush prey as well as protect them from predators.

What are the three characteristics of chimeras?

Chimaeras are tapered fishes with large pectoral and pelvic fins, large eyes, and two dorsal fins, the first preceded by a sharp spine. They have slender tails, from which the name ratfish, applied to some, has been derived.

Which gland is absent in elasmobranchs?

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are a primarily carnivorous group of vertebrates that consume very few carbohydrates and have little reliance on glucose as an oxidative fuel, the one exception being the rectal gland.

How many species of elasmobranchs are there?

In total, there are about 869+ extant species of elasmobranchs, with about 400+ of those being sharks and the rest skates and rays.

What do wobbegongs look like?

Spotted wobbegong shark has a distinctive body shape, typical of wobbegong. Its head and body are very flattened and the pectoral and pelvic fins are broad. It has a wide mouth and there is a large crescent-shaped spiracle behind each eye.

What is the scientific name for wobbegong?

OrectolobidaeWobbegong / Scientific name

The spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, endemic to Australia. It is a large, robust species, typically reaching 150–180 centimetres (59–71 in) in length. Coloured green, yellow, or brown, it has distinctive O-shaped spots throughout its body.

What is a chimera?

A chimera is essentially a single organism that’s made up of cells from two or more “individuals”—that is, it contains two sets of DNA, with the code to make two separate organisms. One way that chimeras can happen naturally in humans is that a fetus can absorb its twin.

What is a chimera human?

A chimera is an individual whose body is composed of cells that are genetically distinct, as if they are from different individuals – and sometimes they really are from different individuals. Many people’s bodies contain at least a few living cells from another person.