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Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them
Fish are not one group behaving similarly. They are several, and the differences matter.
About this topic
Calling something a fish groups together animals separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Sharks and rays build their skeletons from cartilage rather than bone; most familiar fish are bony and carry a gas-filled bladder for buoyancy that sharks lack entirely. These questions cover those divisions and the adaptations that follow from them, including senses no land animal has and a few genuinely strange life histories.
Questions & answers
Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them: all 10 questions and answers
Every question in this quiz is listed below with its correct answer and the reasoning behind it. Play first if you would rather not see the answers — or read through as a study sheet.
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1Sharks and rays differ from most fish because their skeletons are made of what?
- A Bone
- B Chitin
- C Calcium plates only
- D Cartilage Correct
Answer: D. Cartilage
Why: Cartilage is lighter than bone, which partly compensates for having no swim bladder to provide buoyancy.
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2Sharks first appear in the fossil record before which of these?
- A Fish
- B Bacteria
- C Trees Correct
- D Insects
Answer: C. Trees
Why: Shark ancestors predate the first forests by a considerable margin, which is why they are often described as older than trees.
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3A swim bladder allows a bony fish to do what?
- A Store food
- B Control its buoyancy Correct
- C Breathe air
- D Detect sound
Answer: B. Control its buoyancy
Why: Sharks lack one and rely on a large oily liver and constant movement instead, which is why many cannot stop swimming.
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4Electroreception allows sharks to detect what?
- A The faint electrical fields of living animals Correct
- B Light in deep water
- C Magnetic north only
- D Changes in salinity
Answer: A. The faint electrical fields of living animals
Why: Jelly-filled pores around the snout, the ampullae of Lorenzini, detect the fields muscles produce — useful for prey buried in sand.
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5The lateral line in fish senses what?
- A Temperature only
- B Light levels
- C Chemical traces
- D Movement and pressure changes in the water Correct
Answer: D. Movement and pressure changes in the water
Why: It is what lets a school turn almost simultaneously, and how a blind cave fish navigates.
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6The largest fish in the world is which?
- A The blue whale
- B The manta ray
- C The whale shark Correct
- D The great white shark
Answer: C. The whale shark
Why: The blue whale is larger but is a mammal. The whale shark is a filter feeder taking plankton and small fish.
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7Rays are most closely related to what?
- A Octopuses
- B Sharks Correct
- C Eels
- D Tuna
Answer: B. Sharks
Why: Both are cartilaginous fish. A ray is essentially built on a flattened body plan with the gills underneath.
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8Which fish famously changes sex during its life?
- A The clownfish Correct
- B The salmon
- C The cod
- D The herring
Answer: A. The clownfish
Why: In clownfish groups the dominant individual becomes female, and if she dies the largest male changes sex to replace her.
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9Deep-sea anglerfish attract prey using what?
- A A loud call
- B Electrical discharge
- C Reflected sunlight
- D A luminous lure produced by bacteria Correct
Answer: D. A luminous lure produced by bacteria
Why: The light comes from symbiotic bacteria. In several species the much smaller male fuses permanently to the female.
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10Eels of the European and American species breed where?
- A Coastal estuaries
- B The Arctic Ocean
- C The Sargasso Sea Correct
- D European rivers
Answer: C. The Sargasso Sea
Why: They cross the Atlantic to spawn there. Their life cycle was unknown for centuries and parts of it have still never been observed.
Frequently asked questions about Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them
How many questions are in Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them?
Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them has 10 questions and takes about 7 minutes to finish. It is rated Medium and sits in our Oceans & Marine Life category.
How is Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them scored?
Each of the 10 correct answers adds 10 XP, up to 100 XP for a clean run. Wrong answers cost you nothing, and your full question-by-question review is shown at the end.
Are the answers to Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them explained?
Yes. All 10 questions carry a written explanation of why the correct answer is right, so the quiz works as a study sheet as well as a test.
Can I replay Sharks, Rays and the Fish Between Them?
Yes, as often as you like. The questions and the answer options are reshuffled on each run, and you can use Practice Mistakes afterwards to retry only the ones you missed. No account is needed to play.
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