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Lamnidae

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mackerel sharks
Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous–recent
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Lamnidae
J. P. Müller and Henle, 1838
Extant genera
Extinct genera; see text

The Lamnidae are the family of mackerel sharks known as white sharks.[1] They are large, fast-swimming predatory fish found in oceans worldwide.

The name of the family is formed from the Greek word lamna, which means "fish of prey", and was derived from the Greek legendary creature, the Lamia.[2]

References

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  1. McEachran, J.; Fechhelm, J.D. (1998). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Vol. 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-292-75206-1. OCLC 38468784. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  2. ISBN 9781258302863: A source-book of biological names and terms, 1944, Edmund Carroll Jaeger