Odontaspididae

views updated

Odontaspididae (Carchariidae; grey nurse shark, sand tiger; subclass Elasmobranchii, order Lamniformes) A small family of large sharks that have all the gill slits in front of the pectoral fin, sharp, non-serrated teeth, and two dorsal fins equal in size to the anal fin. The fearsome Odontaspis taurus (grey nurse shark), growing to 5 m in length, is common along Australian and S. African beaches, but may be less dangerous than is often claimed. There are possibly seven species, distributed world-wide.

More From encyclopedia.com