| cartilaginous fish n. A fish whose skeleton consists mainly of cartilage, especially a member of the class Chondrichthyes, such as a shark, skate, or ray. |
cartilaginous fish  (kär'tl-āj'ə-nəs) Pronunciation Key
Any of various fishes of the class Selachii (or Chondrichthyes), having a skeleton that is made of cartilage. Cartilaginous fishes breathe through gill slits, of which there are usually five, and their toothlike or platelike scales (called denticles) are made of dentine and enamel. Sharks, rays, skates, sawfish, and chimaeras are cartilaginous fishes. Compare bony fish, jawless fish. |
cartilaginous fish
any member of the group of cartilaginous fishes that includes the sharks, skates, chimaeras, and rays. The class is one of the two great groups of living fishes, the other being the osteichthians, or bony fishes. The term Selachii is also sometimes used as the name for the order of sharks.
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