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Table of Contents
Enchanted Learning
All About Sharks!

Geologic Time Chart
Introduction to Sharks Introduction to Rays Anatomy Shark and Ray Species Extreme Sharks Extinct Sharks Classification Shark Glossary Shark Index Printables, Worksheets, and Activities

Shark Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U-Z

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the shark or shark term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

K


KERATIN

Keratin is the stiff substance that baleen, hooves, hair, horns, and fingernails are made of.


KIDNEY-HEADED SHARK

Kidney-headed sharks Sphyrna lewini are also known as Scalloped Hammerheads. The front of the head of this shark is flattened, scalloped and wide, forming a structure called a cephalofoil. This oddly-shaped head helps the shark swim, making the shark more hydrodynamic. The eyes are at the tip and slightly below the head. The head is also dense with sensory receptors. Kidney-headed sharks grow to be about 10-13 ft (3-4 m) long. They swim in warm temperate and tropical waters. They eat bony fish, and cephalopods. Pups are born live in litters of 15-30; they are 17-22 inches (43-55 cm) long at birth. Classification: Order Carcharhiniformes


KILLER WHALE

Killer whales, or orcas, (Orcinus orca) are toothed whales, powerful carnivores that eat fish, squid, and marine mammals. They grow to be about 27 feet long (8 m) and weigh about 8,000 - 12,000 pounds (3600-5400 kg).

KINGDOM

In classification, a kingdom is the highest grouping of similar organisms. A kingdom contains one or more phyla (plural of phylum). Life on Earth is divided into five kingdoms: Animalia (animals), Plantae (plants), Fungi, Protista (protozoans and eucaryotic algae), and Monera (blue-green algae).

KNOPP'S SHARK

The bignose shark (Carcharhinus altimus) is also known as Knopp's shark. This bottom dweller is found in warm-temperate and tropical seas. It is up to about 10 ft (3 m) long. The skin is ash-colored, but is lighter on the belly; the fins have dark tips. Bony fish is the mainstay of the diet (mackerel is a favorite). The bignose is viviparous; litters contain from 3 to 11 pups. Newborns are 27 to 35 inches (70-90 cm) long. It was named by Springer in 1950.

knot

A knot is a unit of speed used on the water, and is defined as one nautical mile per hour. A knot is equal to about 1.15 miles per hour (6,080 feet per hour). For example, 20 knots is about 23 mph.


KRILL

Krill are tiny animals, euphasiids, that float in the oceans. They are shrimp-like crustaceans that are found in vast amounts in the cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Baleen whales eat krill that they sieve through their baleen. Blue whales can eat about 4 tons of krill each day.


K-T EXTINCTION

The K-T extinction was the mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago, at the boundary of the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
Zoom Sharks
Shark Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U-Z

Click on an underlined word for more information on that subject.
If the shark or shark term you are looking for is not in the dictionary, please e-mail us.

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