What material characterizes the skeleton of sharks belonging to the Chondrichthyes class?
Answer
Cartilage
Sharks, along with rays and skates, are members of the class Chondrichthyes. The defining characteristic of this diverse group is that their skeletons are entirely made up of cartilage rather than true bone. This feature has significant implications for the fossil record; because cartilage does not mineralize or preserve as readily as bone, the direct fossil evidence for ancient sharks, including the whale shark lineage, is often sparse. Paleontologists must frequently rely on more robust, persistent remains like teeth or vertebral centra to trace their long evolutionary history.
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