Elasmobranchii Gallery

Elasmobranchii is a class of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, and skates, and are found in all oceans around the world and range from small to large sizes

Fish Gallery, September 1890
The Fish Gallery attractions included a 8.5m (28 ft) long basking shark caught near Shanklin, Isle of Wight, and wood from a whaling ship, the Farquharson, pierced by swordfish lances

Squalus maximus, Basking shark taken at Brighton 5 Dec 1812
Watercolour and ink

Hemiscyllium ocellatum, epaulette shark
Ff. 56. Pencil sketch by Herman Dietrich Sporing made during Captain James Cooks first voyage to explore the southern continent 1768-1771

Blue Spotted Stingray (Dasyatis kuhlii, also known as Kuhls Stingray

Tonguestone (sharks tooth) with lateral denticles
Tooth of the extinct shark (Lamna obliqua Agassiz). Specimen orgininating from the London Clay (Eocene), Sheppey, Kent

Scyliorhinus canicula, dogfish
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the scales of a dogfish (x 40)

Sharks teeth
Tooth of an extinct shark (Carcharodon megalodon) on the right, compared with a tooth from a modern Great White shark, (Carcharodon carcharias) on the left

A most stupendous basking shark caught within one league of
Advertising flyer for the public exhibition in London of a basking shark caught in Brighton

Salmon shark (Lamna ditropis). Port Fidalgo, Alaska, USA. July

Smalltooth sand tiger shark (Odontaspis ferox), view from below. El Hierro. Canary Islands

Pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) being cleaned by a bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) at Monad Shoal off Malapascua Island, Philippines

Thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) swimming over seabed to be cleaned by cleaner wrasses, Cebu, Malaspascua, Philippines, September

RF- Rear view of Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) feeding on plankton, visible as white dots on water surface near island of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Scotland, UK. June

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) from above. Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico. East Pacific Ocean

Southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) swimming over sand ripples on sandbar, Stingray City, Grand Cayman. British West Indies

Basking shark
Hand-drawn graphite and watercolour wash depicting side view of head of Basking shark transported from Brighton to London. 10th Dec 1812. Date: 1812

Pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) swimming in open ocean, Malapascua Island, Philippines, Pacific Ocean

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) swimming close to the surface, Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico, Pacific Ocean

Salmon shark (Lamna ditropis) swimming, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, Pacific Ocean

Jaws of Salmon shark (Lamna ditropis), Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. July

Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) swimming, Guadalupe Island, Mexico, Pacific Ocean

Japanese bullhead shark (Heterodontus japonicus) on reef. Chiba Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. May

Atlantic sixgill shark (Hexanchus vitulus) swimming with open mouth. Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas

Southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) swimming over ripples on sandbar, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

A school of Southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus) on a sand bar, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. British West Indies. Caribbean Sea

Embrio squali pristis or The Saw fish
Plate 120 - Naturgeschichte der ausl䮤 ischen Fische : mit sechs und dreissig Ausgemalten kupfern nach originalen (1785-95) by Marcus Elieser Bloch

Odontaspis robusta, sand tiger shark teeth
Odontaspis robusta from the Early Eocene rocks of Abbey Wood, Kent. Anterior teeth (tall, slender) and lateral teeth (triangular) are shown

LS Plate 192 from the John Reeves Collection
John Reeves, a 19th Century Tea Inspector, travelled to Canton, China in order to develop a large collection of Chinese natural history drawings

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Both of these Pantropical spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, have wounds on inflicted at night from a cookie cutter shark, Isistius brasiliensis

RF - Male Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) swimming beneath the surface, Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico, Pacific Ocean

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) feeding on plankton in surface waters close to the island of Coll, Inner Hebrides. Scotland, UK. Atlantic Ocean. June

Sand Tiger Shark (Eugomphodus taurus)
Close-up of Sand Tiger Shark (Eugomphodus taurus). Durban, South Africa. Image digitally altered to remove distracting or to add more interesting background. The main subject has not been altered

Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) males beneath the surface. Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico. East Pacific Ocean

Giant Pacific Manta Ray (Manta birostris) portrait with Remora fish (Echeneididae) Roca Partida, Revillagigedos Islands, Mexico. East Pacific Ocean. February

Manta ray (Manta birostris) feeding on plankton in a shallow lagoon. Hanifaru Lagoon, Baa Atoll, Maldives. Indian Ocean

A school of lesser devil rays (Mobula hypostoma) flying through sunbeams as they feed. Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Caribbean Sea

Eye and spiracle detail of a Bluespotted / Ribbontail Stingray (Taeniura lymma) Sipadan Island, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. May

Group of Manta rays (Manta birostris) feeding together on plankton in a shallow lagoon. Hanifaru Lagoon, Baa Atoll, Maldives. Indian Ocean

LS Plate 186 from the John Reeves Collection
John Reeves, a 19th Century Tea Inspector, travelled to Canton, China in order to develop a large collection of Chinese natural history drawings

Aetobatus narinari, spotted eagle ray
LS Plate 190 from the John Reeves Collection. John Reeves, a 19th Century Tea Inspector, travelled to Canton, China in order to develop a large collection of Chinese natural history drawings

Plate 146 from the John Reeves Collection
John Reeves, a 19th Century Tea Inspector, travelled to Canton, China in order to develop a large collection of Chinese natural history drawings

LS Plate 193 from the John Reeves Collection
John Reeves, a 19th Century Tea Inspector, travelled to Canton, China in order to develop a large collection of Chinese natural history drawings

LS Plate 179 from the John Reeves Collection

Heterodontus portusjacksoni, Port Jackson shark
Drawing no 44 by George Raper, 1789

A look at the front end of a Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), Bequ Lagoon, Viti Levu, Fiji. This species is known for its ability to survive in fresh water where it gives birth to its young; Viti

Grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are a common coastal-pelagic and inshore species found on coral reefs adjacent to drop-offs involving current and the open ocean

Stingray (Dasyatidae)

Horses being used to transport a Basking shark from Brighton
Hand-drawn graphite and watercolour wash depicting the horses used to transport a Basking shark from North Audley Street, Brighton to London on a carriage pulled by 12 horses. 10th Dec 1812

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Elasmobranchii is a class of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, and skates, and are found in all oceans around the world and range from small to large sizes. Elasmobranchs have several unique features that distinguish them from other fish, including a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone, multiple gill openings on each side of their head, and five to seven pairs of gill slits. They also have an electric sense organ called the ampullae of Lorenzini which helps them detect prey in dark or murky waters. Elasmobranchs are carnivorous predators that feed on smaller fish and invertebrates such as squid and crustaceans. Some species are also filter feeders, using their specialized mouths to strain plankton from the water column. Elasmobranchs play an important role in marine ecosystems by controlling populations of prey species and providing food for larger predators like seals and whales. Conservation efforts for elasmobranchs focus on protecting habitats such as coral reefs where they live as well as reducing fishing pressures that can lead to overfishing or bycatch mortality.