Ground Sharks
Carcharhiniformes
Carcharhiniformes (; from Ancient Greek καρχαρός (karkharós) 'sharp, jagged', ῥινός (rhinós) 'nose' and Latin forme 'shape'), commonly called ground sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as cat sharks, swellsharks, and hound sharks.
Members of this order are characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits.
12 branches of this order, most-observed first · about 302 known species
Requiem Sharks
familyCarcharhinidae
Catsharks
familyScyliorhinidae
Houndsharks
familyTriakidae
Hammerhead and Winghead Sharks
familySphyrnidae
Deepwater Catsharks
familyPentanchidae
Tiger Sharks
familyGaleocerdonidae
Coloured Catsharks
familyAtelomycteridae
Weasel Sharks
familyHemigaleidae
Finback Catsharks
familyProscylliidae
False Catsharks
familyPseudotriakidae
Barbeled Houndsharks
familyLeptochariidae
Bristle Sharks
familyDichichthyidae
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Carcharhiniformes in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 48069.