Is a Great White a mammal?

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asked Apr 23, 2022 in Science by 88ladyf (890 points)
Is a Great White a mammal?

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answered Apr 29, 2022 by 2021sucked (36,200 points)
A Great White is not a mammal.

Sharks are not actually mammals so the Great White Shark is not a mammal.

Sharks are not mammals; sharks are fish.

Sharks lack mammalian characteristics such as hair and lungs, and do not produce milk.

Being fish, sharks have scales and fins, and breathe using gills.

Sharks belong to the class Chondrichthyes, whereas mammals belong to the class Mammalia.

All species of sharks are classified as fish.

Sharks do not have mammary glands, and do not feed their young, so are therefore disqualified from being named mammals.

The class that sharks are in is Chondrichthyes.

Chondrichthyes is the class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage.

The Chondrichthyes class of fish can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or bony fishes, which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue.

Cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyes) represent the oldest surviving jawed vertebrates and, as the name suggests, have a skeleton made out of cartilage.

They include sharks, rays, and skates (elasmobranchii) and chimeras (holocephali).

The cartilaginous fish are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nostrils, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone.

Examples of the cartilaginous fish include sharks, rays, and skates.

The bony ones like Cod and Salmon have hard bones.

All the others have skeletons made of cartilage.

Even their teeth are hard cartilage.

Common examples of cartilaginous fish are sharks, dogfish, rays and skates.

Both types of fish have an endoskeleton.

The main difference between bony fish and cartilaginous fish is that bony fish have an endoskeleton completely made up of bones whereas cartilaginous fish have an endoskeleton primarily made up of cartilages.

Examples of Cartilaginous Fish include.

Whale Shark.
Basking Shark.
Great White Shark.
Thresher Sharks.
Skates.
Southern Stingray.

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 and are the sister group to the rays.

Contrary to popular belief, sharks are also quite afraid of humans!

Being apex predators, it is natural that sharks will fear or stay away from the unknown, and that includes humans.

Great white sharks are the most aggressive sharks in the world having recorded 333 attacks on humans, with 52 of them being fatal.

The inclusion of this particular species probably comes as no surprise since movies, particularly Jaws, and television shows are quick to show their aggression.

Most sharks are not dangerous to humans people are not part of their natural diet.

Despite their scary reputation, sharks rarely ever attack humans and would much rather feed on fish and marine mammals.

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