48 GIANT FISHES 



The skin of these Sharks is rather thin, but is said to provide 

 a durable and handsome leather. The flesh has a fine grain, 

 and is a favourite food of the Japanese. 



The scientific name, Sphynia, is derived from the Greek 

 word for a hammer ; zyg&na is the ancient name for the 

 Shark, and is probably derived from a Greek word meaning 

 " yoke ". 



SPINED SHARKS. 



(Family Squalid^;.) 



Sharks with a more or less long body, which is not flattened 

 from above downwards. The eyes have no third eyelid. The 

 mouth is situated on the under-side of the head, and there are 

 no grooves connecting this with the nostrils. The teeth are 

 small or of moderate size, and vary greatly in form in the 

 different genera. Spiracles are present. The external gill- 

 clefts on each side are all in front of the base of the pectoral 

 fin. There are 2 dorsal fins, each of which often has a spine 

 in front of it. There is no anal fin. The pectoral fins are 

 normally shaped. 



This family includes a number of different looking sharks, 

 of which the majority are of comparatively small size. Only 

 the Greenland and Bramble Sharks grow to any size, and are 

 consequently dealt with here. The Spined Sharks are found 

 in most parts of the world, but are more abundant in the 

 temperate than in the tropical regions. A few of the genera 

 appear to date back to the Cretaceous period. 



GREENLAND OR SLEEPER SHARK. 



(Genus Somniosus.) Fig. 22. 



The- body is rather stout and clumsy, the head small, and 

 the snout bluntly rounded. The mouth is only slightly arched, 

 with a groove on either side. The teeth are quite different 

 in the two jaws : those of the upper jaw are small, narrow, 

 conical and arranged in several rows ; those of the lower 

 jaw are broad, oblique, and have the points so much turned 

 outwards towards the sides of the jaw that the inner margins 



