The lamnids or Lamnidae are a family of sharks within the order Lamniformes, which includes five living species of sharks, most notably the famous great white shark. This family of sharks also has several extinct species, which we also list.
Índice de Contenidos
Characteristics
Lamnids are distinguished by their elongated and highly hydrodynamic body, conical snout, and well-separated teeth. They have long gill openings, a characteristically shaped first dorsal fin, and a small second dorsal fin similar in size to the anal fin. Their teeth are triangular and sharp, resembling daggers, and their eyes are circular and black, without a nictitating membrane. The tail has a "keel" on the sides, and the lower lobe of the caudal fin is more than half the size of the upper lobe. Their internal metabolism is well developed, allowing them to maintain their body temperature between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius, enabling their presence in temperate-cold waters, though not in polar regions. They are ovoviviparous.
Diversity of Living Species
Lamnids include five living species, grouped into three genera:
- Genus Isurus:
- Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako shark)
- Isurus paucus (longfin mako shark)
- Genus Lamna:
- Lamna nasus (porbeagle shark)
- Lamna ditropis (salmon shark)
- Genus Carcharodon:
Evolutionary History
Lamnids have been present in the fossil record since the Cretaceous and have always been top predators of other marine vertebrates. Some species reached gigantic sizes, such as Cretoxyrhina (Cretaceous, 8 meters) and especially Carcharocles megalodon (Neogene, up to 18 meters). Currently, the great white shark is their largest representative, with a scientifically recognized maximum length of almost 6 meters, being surpassed in size only by filter-feeding sharks such as the whale shark or the basking shark.
All Species (Living and Extinct)
Genus Carchariolamna Hora, 1939
- Carchariolamna heroni Hora, 1939 (extinct)
Genus Carcharodon Smith, 1838
- Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (great white shark)
- Carcharodon hubbelli Ehret, Macfadden, Jones, Devries, Foster & Salas-Gismondi, 2012 (Hubbell's white shark) (extinct)
Genus Corax Agassiz, 1843 (extinct)
Genus Cosmopolitodus Glikman, 1964
- Cosmopolitodus hastalis Agassiz, 1843 (broad-tooth mako) (extinct)
Genus Carcharomodus
- Carcharomodus escheri Agassiz, 1843 (extinct)
Genus Isurus Rafinesque, 1810
- Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 (shortfin mako shark)
- Isurus paucus Guitart-Manday, 1966 (longfin mako shark)
- Isurus desori Agassiz, 1843 (extinct)
- Isurus flandricus Leriche, 1910 (extinct)
- Isurus minutus Agassiz, 1843 (extinct)
- Isurus nakaminatoensis Saito, 1961 (extinct)
- Isurus planus Agassiz, 1856 (extinct)
- Isurus precursor Leriche, 1905 (extinct)
- Isurus rameshi Mehrotra, Mishra, and Srivastava, 1973 (extinct)
Genus Isurolamna Cappetta, 1976
- Isurolamna affinis Casier, 1946 (extinct)
- Isurolamna bajarunasi Glikman and Zhelezko, 1985 (extinct)
- Isurolamna gracilis Le Hon, 1871 (extinct)
- Isurolamna inflata Leriche, 1905 (extinct)
Genus Karaisurus Kozlov in Zhelezko & Kozlov, 1999
- Karaisurus demidkini Kozlov in Zhelezko & Kozlov, 1999 (extinct)
Genus Lamiostoma Glikman, 1964
- Lamiostoma belyaevi Glikman, 1964 (extinct)
- Lamiostoma stolarovi Glikman and Zhelezko in Zhelezko and Kozlov, 1999 (extinct)
Genus Lamna Cuvier, 1816
- Lamna ditropis Hubbs & Follett, 1947 (salmon shark)
- Lamna nasus Bonnaterre, 1788 (porbeagle shark)
- Lamna attenuata Davis, 1888 (extinct)
- Lamna carinata Davis, 1888 (extinct)
- Lamna hectori Davis, 1888 (extinct)
- Lamna marginalis Davis, 1888 (extinct)
- Lamna quinquelateralis Cragin, 1894 (extinct)
- Lamna trigeri Coquand, 1860 (extinct)
- Lamna trigonata Agassiz, 1843 (extinct)
Genus Lethenia Leriche, 1910
- Lethenia vandenbroecki Winkler, 1880 (extinct)
Genus Macrorhizodus Glikman, 1964
- Macrorhizodus americanus Leriche, 1942 (extinct)
- Macrorhizodus nolfi Zhelezko, 1999 (extinct)
