Sharks and Rays


The class Chondrichthyes is distinguished by a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone. They include sharks, rays and the mostly deep-water chimeras. Species range in size from approximately 30cm to almost 20m in length. The largest commonly encountered species in SA is the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) which can grow to over 6 metres.


Requiem Sharks (Order Carcharhiniformes)


Bullhead Sharks (Order Heterodontiformes)


Mackeral Sharks (Order Lamniformes)


Stingrays (Order Myliobatiformes)


Carpet Sharks (Order Orectolobiformes)


Shovelnose Rays (Order Rhinobatiformes)