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Order : SELACHIMORPHA
Species : xxx
Globally there are more
than 500 species of shark classified into 8 orders and numerous families.
In terms of shark diversity Indonesia is the country with the greatest
number of species, with more than 100 being present. This is partly due to
its equatorial location and longitudinal extent, stretching between the
Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. To the west of
the Wallace Line, which lies between Bali and Lombok, the shark fauna is
more akin to that of the Indian Ocean, and to the east of the line is more
akin to Australian (western Pacific) fauna.
Other countries of Southeast Asia also support high levels of shark
diversity including Malaysia and the Philippines.
Fig 1 : Grey Reef Shark Carcharhinus
amblyrhynchos (Carcharhiniformes : Carcharhinidae). Photo thanks to Noel Thomas.
Fig 2 : Whale Shark Rhincodon typus (Orectolobiformes : Rhincodontidae) in
Western Australia. Photo thanks to Nikki Guy.
Fig 3 : The warm, tropical waters of Indonesia support the greatest shark
diversity in the world. Pictured here are the waters which lie between
Sumatra and Java, with the coastline of Java visible on the horizon.
References :
Fahmi. (2010). Sharks And Rays In Indonesia. Mar. Res. Indonesia Vol.35,
No.1, 2010: 43-54
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