A Website to Note and One of the Coolest Documentaries I Have seen

It has been a while since I have written and thought that I should share a website I found that is enormously great! It is www.elsmo-research.org. It is a wonderful reference regarding ALL things sharks and rays. Lately, I have neglected all things tetrapod (including dinosaurs and reptiles!) because I have been so fascinated with all things shark. Sharks are some of the most fascinating animals around. They are expert predators and much of their biology is astounding, especially to someone who is used to the biology of animals that are more calcified in their skeleton. For example, sharks intestinal tract is not like that of other animals which is usually a jumbled mess inside the gut. The shark intestines is a long straight tube with rings inside of it arranged in different ways. Some sharks vary how the inside of the intestines are arranged some have many folds and others are like a labyrinth and the corkscrew arrangment is what is used by many of the sharks that we are faimiliar with like the great white shark. The design is to save space for the enormous liver that sharks use for buoyancy and to allow female sharks to birth bigger offspring while keeping a large surface area of intestinal membranes that aid in digestion. Also, who could imagine an animals whose entire skin is covered with teeth!

There are many other biological details that are astounding in the cartilaginous fish but I will have to expound on them in later posts. So have fun with the website and enjoy this amazing documentary. It is worth the 45 minutes or so it takes to watch it! You will love it.