Great White Shark – Anatomy

The body is shaped very similar to a torpedo and the skeleton is entirely composed up of cartilage. They have a pointed snout, a crescent-shaped tail, 5 gill slits and can have 3000 teeth in their mouth. If they loose a tooth, they will replace it, and can do this all life.

If you were to look inside the body of a shark, you would notice many of the same organs that humans (spleens, pancreas, rectums, and liver). However there are some differences in function and anatomy of these organs. For example the shark liver can take up approximately 25% of the total body weight; it’s where the fatty reserves are kept and gives buoyancy to the shark because the liver stores oils that are lighter than water.

Around a shark’s head is an entire sensory network called the ampullae of Lorenzini, a very unique part of the shark anatomy. Each ampulla is composed of a cluster of sensory cells that ultimately enables sharks to detect prey that may be hiding in the sand, and even possibly notice changes in the water’s temperature, pressure, salinity, magnetic fields, and mechanical stimuli.