What material constitutes the entire skeletal structure of the white shark?
Answer
Cartilage
A fundamental difference between the white shark and terrestrial vertebrates like humans is that the shark lacks a true bony skeleton. Instead, its entire skeletal structure is composed exclusively of cartilage, which is the same resilient material found in human ears and noses. This cartilaginous composition offers several biological advantages. Primarily, cartilage is lighter in density than bone, which significantly contributes to the shark's overall buoyancy and subsequently reduces the amount of energy expended for movement through the water. This lighter frame supports the shark's lifestyle as an active, open-ocean predator.
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