218 Shark and Company 



Basic Differences Between Teleosts and Selachians 



true fishes, or Teleosts; but others assume more bizarre forms, such as 

 the Hammerhead. But this is only the beginning of the Selachians' di- 

 versification. For, included under the dull-sounding phrase "skates and 

 rays" is a strange parade of what amounts to flattened sharks. These, 

 together with the marginal forms that link them to the rest of the shark 

 family, are as fascinating as sharks themselves. 



Sharks come in many sizes. Ishmael, awed by the immensity of 

 Moby Dick, rightfully called the whale "the mightiest animated mass 

 that has survived the Flood." But the whale is a mammal, and the largest 

 fish in the sea is a species of shark, the Whale shark {Rhincodon typus). 

 The Whale shark's confirmed measurements are 45 feet in length and 

 more than 13 tons in weight. Creditable reports have put its length at 60 

 feet and more. [Blue whales (Balaenoptera mus cuius) commonly grow to 

 90 feet, and have been known to reach 110 feet in length.] There are 

 small sharks, too: some mature at less than 18 inches. One species, Squali- 

 olus laticaudus, found at abyssal depths in the Pacific, retains a com- 

 plete shark form but at full size is believed to be less than 3 inches long. 



Between the Whale shark and the tiny Squaliolus are sharks whose 

 fame rests not on their size but rather on their versatility, feats, and repu- 

 tation. Rightly or otherwise, this reputation is often bad, and the con- 

 sensus of most seafarers, fishermen, and landsmen is that the best shark 

 is a dead one. 



The notion that the shark deserves a hideous death seems to be uni- 



