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What Kind of Blood Temperature Does a Cartilage Fish Have?

Cartilage fish, or chondrichthyes, have skeletons made of cartilage and include sharks, skates, rays and ratfish. These fish have no swim bladders and their skin is covered with denticles instead of scales, which makes it abrasive to the touch. The skin of cartilage fish is very thick in order to support the fish's skeleton. Most cartilage fish are cold-blooded, but some species of sharks are partially warm-blooded. Due to the complicated nature of cold-bloodedness and warm-bloodedness in cartilage fish, however, many scientists tend not to use these terms.

Meaning of Cold-Bloodedness
- As water temperature changes, so will the body temperature of a cold-blooded chondrichthye.
  
  A cold-blooded animal, or a poikilotherm, has a blood temperature that adapts to its environment. A fish in warm water will have a higher body temperature than a fish in cold water. A cold-blooded animal's muscle activity depends on the temperature of its surroundings, so fish in cold water move more slowly and require less hunting and food.
Effects of being Cold-Blooded
- A carpet shark lives at the seafloor, where the water is coldest, and therefore moves slowly.
  
  Cold-blooded sharks and other cartilage fish, also known as "ectothermic" animals, can regulate their body temperatures by changing depths. When they are in colder water, they cannot move or think as fast, and hunting and reproducing needs to be done at warmer temperatures.
Types of Cold-Blooded Cartilage Fish
- A dogfish shark's blood adapts to its surroundings, depending on water temperature.
  
  Most types of sharks and other cartilage fish are ectothermic. Species of sharks that are cold-blooded include dogfish sharks, carpet sharks and other bottom-dwelling sharks. This also includes all species of ray, like sting rays and manta rays.
Meaning of Partial Warm-Bloodedness
- The sand tiger shark is one shark that can raise its body temperature.
  
  Some species of sharks have found ways around their cold-bloodedness. These sharks are able to elevate their stomach temperature above the temperature of the water. Sharks that have this ability require bursts of energy because they are fierce hunters and need to raise their body temperatures above cold water temperatures so they can catch their prey.
Types of Warm-Blooded Cartilage Fish
- The great white can warm its body temperature above the cold water that surrounds it.
  
  Mackerel sharks, also known as Lamniformes, are able to control their blood temperatures. This family of sharks includes species that are known as aggressive hunters, and occasionally have been linked to human attacks. Lamniformes include mako sharks and the great white shark.

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