Sharks
Eight species of shark have been found in arctic marine waters. Classified in four different families and two orders, they represent a wide range of the great morphological and behavioral diversity of sharks. The order Lamniformes is represented by two species of mackerel shark (family Lamnidae) and the basking shark (Cetorhinidae). Squaliforms in the arctic region include two species of dogfish shark (Squalidae) and three of sleeper shark (Somniosidae).
All are known in the arctic only from rare records except for the sleeper shark Somniosus microcephalus, which is common in the North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic Ocean.
Page Author: CW Mecklenburg & TA Mecklenburg
Created: Feb 10, 2011
