Physiological Adaptations:

• Sharp teeth

• Heightened senses

• Sharks feed throughout the night between low and high tide. Typically in shallow water near reefs.

• Using countercurrent exchange sharks are able to use the heat that is generated by active swimming muscles

  • The metabolism keeps their body and organs warm

Adaptations:

• Torpedo shaped body allows reduced drag in the water. Their stiffer tail finas are more symmetrical to their bodies which helps them move better in the water. 

• Able to accumulate fat storages for long distance migrations. 

Long distance adaptations:

• Large gill surfaces area: allows for enhanced oxygen uptake

• Large heart: pumps high volume of blood to muscles in the body that help for long distance swimming

• High hemoglobin concentration

• Regional endothermy: warmer body temperature than surrounding water

• Thunniforms swimming: power goes to tail

Thermoregulation:

• Sharks are poikilothermic or cold blooded

• Animals are able to converse energy by rising to the top of the ocean

• Also can converse energy if they reach colder depths. This causes their bodily function to slow down

• Sharks are homeothermic 

• Some sharks use behavioral thermoregulation which allows them to choose specific habits/ behavior based on the water temperature surrounding them.