Hammerhead Shark Research Paper

Sharks are extraordinary creatures they are also the fiercest predators of the sea, but they weren’t always that way. Sharks have evolved in many ways to become the animal that is know today.Sharks have grown jaws and teeth like scales. Sharks used to be very small and not intimidating at all.

Sharks about 370 million years ago were “four feet long and their mouth’s were on the bottom of their heads. The Cladoselache also had long spines along its back” (Shark Savers “450 Million Years of Sharks”). The features of being four feet long and having their mouths on the bottom of their head made the sharks more vulnerable to attack. This feature was not very helpful in their advances due to the fact they couldn't really detect where their food was

A type of shark called Stethacanthus had the same comb-like fins on their backs but “the male fish had flat dorsal fins that resembled a brush.” (Shark Savers “450 MIllion Years of Sharks”). Scientist are not sure what these fins were used for but evidence points to that they were used for protection against predators.The most recent shark recorded was the hammerhead shark. Hammerhead sharks first appeared in the “mid-to-late Eocene deposits, from about 50-35 million years ago.” (Shark Savers “450 MIllion Years of Sharks”). The sharks that were around back then were almost like the fish that fishermen lie about and say they caught, comparing those sharks to one’s the sharks seen now is like comparing a garden snake to an

Shark’s fossils come from their teeth “due to the fact that their bones are cartilage.” (Shark Savers “450 MIllion Years of Sharks”). Since sharks have cartilage instead of bones they can zip through the water a lot faster than other fish since cartilage is a very light substance. Although sharks have no bones some other things have been found about sharks because some sharks had very distinguishable features on their bodies the sharks and the features are “Cladoselache sharks had no scales. Cretoxyrhina sharks (also called the “Ginsu shark”) had sharp, enameled teeth. Diablodontus sharks (also called the “Devil Toothed Shark”) had sharp teeth and spikes on it’s head. Edestus sharks were large and had continuously growing teeth. Falcatus sharks had tiny bodies with big eyes. Helicoprion sharks had teeth like “fruit roll-ups.” Ischyrhiza sharks had saw-like teeth. Megalodon was the biggest shark to ever live. Orthacanthus sharks had a distinctive shark on their heads. Otodus sharks had huge, sharp teeth. Ptychodus sharks were large in size and had thousands of flat teeth. Squalicorax had a moderate size and sharp triangular shaped teeth. Male Stethacanthus sharks have an ironing board shape on their backs. Xenacanthus sharks had spikes on their heads” (The Evolution of Sharks, from Stethacanthus to Megalodon “400 Million Years of sharks”). All of these sharks had unique features that fossilized so scientists