Smooth-Hound Shark

Smooth-hound

Mustelus, also known as the smooth-hounds, is a genus of sharks in the family Triakidae. The name of the genus comes from the Latin word mustela, meaning weasel. It should not be confused with the name Mustela, which is used for weasels.

Shark

Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fishes characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the division Selachii and are the sister group to the Batomorphi. Some sources extend the term "shark" as an informal category including extinct members of Chondrichthyes with a shark-like morphology, such as hybodonts. Shark-like chondrichthyans such as Cladoselache and Doliodus first appeared in the Devonian Period, though some fossilized chondrichthyan-like scales are as old as the Late Ordovician. The earliest confirmed modern sharks (Selachii) are known from the Early Jurassic around 200 million years ago, with the oldest known member being Agaleus, though records of true sharks may extend back as far as the Permian.

smooth

Adjective

1. Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
2. Without difficulty, problems, or unexpected consequences or incidents.

Adverb

1. Smoothly.

hound

Noun

1. A dog, particularly a breed with a good sense of smell developed for hunting other animals.
2. Any canine animal.

Verb

1. To persistently harass doggedly.
2. To urge on against; to set (dogs) upon in hunting.

shark

Noun

1. Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.
2. Meat of this animal, consumed as food.

Verb

1. To fish for sharks.
2. Of a university student who is not a fresher (first-year undergraduate), and especially towards the start of the academic year.