View source for 5e24:Shark

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[[File:TDpGUipa.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Sharks<br />by LittleJerry<br />via Mediawiki Commons<br />[[CC-BY-SA]]]]
{{5e24 Creature Short|Shark|Shark|Overview|Beast, Shark
|habitat=Underwater
|refs=<ref name="24fr">{{Cite Pub|2024 D&D Free Rules}} Licensed: &copy; Wizards of the Coast {{fairuc}}.</ref> <ref name="phb24">{{Cite Pub|Player's Handbook (5e24)}} Licensed: &copy; Wizards of the Coast {{fairuc}}.</ref> <ref name="hab">habitat - unofficial</ref>}}

{{blockref|'''Sharks''' are a group of {{wikip|elasmobranch}} [[fish]] characterized by a {{wikip|Chondrichthyes#Skeleton|cartilaginous skeleton}}, five to seven {{wikip|gill slit}}s on the sides of the {{wikip|head}}, and {{wikip|pectoral fin}}s that are not fused to the head…

Under this <!--broader -->definition, the earliest known sharks date back to more than 420 million years ago.<ref name="RQGT">{{cite Source|last=Martin|first=R. Aidan|url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/evolution/geologic_time.htm|title=Geologic Time|publisher=ReefQuest|accessdate=2006-09-09|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/64w8a0cAj?url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/evolution/geologic_time.htm
|archive-date=2012-01-24|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Acanthodians]] are often referred to as "spiny sharks"… a paraphyletic assemblage leading to cartilaginous fish as a whole.  Since then, sharks have diversified into [[List of sharks|over 500 species]]. They range in size from the small [[dwarf lanternshark]] (''Etmopterus perryi''), a deep sea species of only 17cm<!--{{convert|17|cm|in|1}}--> in length, to the [[whale shark]] (''Rhincodon typus''), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12m<!--{{convert|12|m|ft|-1}}--> in length.<ref>{{cite Source|title=Evolutionary pathways toward gigantism in sharks and rays|first1=Catalina|last1=Pimiento|first2=Juan L.|last2=Cantalapiedra|first3=Kenshu|last3=Shimada|first4=Daniel J.|last4=Field|first5=Jeroen B.|last5=Smaers|date=24 January 2019|journal=Evolution|volume=73|issue=2|pages=588–599|doi=10.1111/evo.13680|pmid=30675721|url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/289161}}</ref> Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths of 2000m<!--{{convert|2000|m|ft|-2}}-->. They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few known exceptions, such as the [[bull shark]] and the [[river shark]], which can be found in both seawater and freshwater.<ref>{{cite Source| last=Allen| first=Thomas B.|year=1999| title=The Shark Almanac| url=https://archive.org/details/sharkalmanac0000alle| url-access=registration|location=New York| publisher=The Lyons Press|isbn= 978-1-55821-582-5| oclc=39627633}}</ref> Sharks have a covering of [[dermal denticle]]s that protects their skin from damage and [[parasite]]s in addition to improving their [[fluid dynamics]]. They have numerous sets of replaceable teeth.<ref name="Budker">{{cite Source<!--book-->| last= Budker|first=Paul|title=The Life of Sharks|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson| location=London| year=1971| id= SBN 297003070}}</ref>

Well-known species such as the [[tiger shark]], [[blue shark]], [[great white shark]], [[Isurus|mako shark]], [[thresher shark]], and [[hammerhead shark]] are [[apex predator]]s—organisms at the top of their underwater [[food chain]]. Many shark populations are threatened by human activities.|<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark Wikipedia: Shark] ''(accessed 2020-04-02)'' Licensed: [[CC-BY-SA]].</ref>}}

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==Found in Adventures==
{{5e Creature Adventure List|Shark}}
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==List of Sharks==
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{{5e24 Creature List|Shark}}
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==Sources and Notes==
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