Shark

Sharks include many species of cartilaginous fishes. They belong to the class Chondrichthyes, which also includes rays and skates. Sharks are among the most feared predators on Earth, frequently referred to as 'mindless killing machines'. They have been featured in movies like Jaws, Deep Blue Sea and Open Water as monsters and villains, and for good reason. It's easy to be terrified of their rows of jagged teeth, silent approach, relentless circling and bloody feeding-frenzies. Shark faces lack expression, and they can't be petted. Brushing up against that sand-paper skin, with its minute dermal denticles, results in a rug-burn.

Few furries adopt the fursona of a shark. Anthropomorphic sharks are hard to imagine, as sharks do not have arms and legs. Their perceived personalities are solitary, not the huggy-skritchy social nature many furs enjoy (although real sharks prefer to live and hunt in slews). Most fursons are instinctively wary of sharks, so even a friendly shark would find it hard to socialize.

Despite that, sharks are appreciated for their positive qualities. They are swift, strong, silent and very well adapted to their lifestyle, remaining unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. Shamanism attributes the shark with many fine qualities, including remorselessness and shapeshifting. They take the role of protector and savior. Sharks are gods of the sea and guardians of family, with the ability to move constantly, a connection to past knowledge, the ability to defend themselves and to never be caught off guard.

Kamohoali'i was the king shark god of Oahu and the elder brother of Pele. Each island of Hawaii has their own shark god, and many families have personal shark guardians, or aumakuas

The Great Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is found in all tropical waters, in both the open ocean and costal areas. Normally 12 to 18 feet in length, these Sharks are easily recognized by their strange, 'hammer' shaped heads. These are used as an advanced electroreceptory organ and for rapid turns. Hammerhead's usual hunting behavior is slide just above the seabed and detect living prey underneath much like a metal detector. Modern research suggests that the 'hammer' may have been a spontaneous mutation, since the basal species has the largest hammer of all.

Unlike other species of Hammerhead, the Great Hammerhead is solitary and dangerous to humans. They feed on rays, smaller sharks and many species of bony fishes.

The only known furry Great Hammerhead is Edward M. Sledge, writer of furry and fantasy fiction.

Characters

Great Hammerhead Shark is one of the three hammerhead shark species suggested for Rokea characters (weresharks of World of Darkness RPG). They get a bonus on sight-based rolls and Social rolls with other Rokea (the system grants this bonus to all hammerhead species).

Jab (Clint Bolton) is a hammerhead mutant from Street Sharks. Clint's defining characteristic is that he is the lazy brother, but one of his hobbies is boxing. He appears to have some talent with mechanics, as he uses a jetpack in the first episode. When he transforms into Jab, he becomes a Hammerhead shark, in which he uses his head as a battering ram. Jab also appears to be more in tune with his animal side than his siblings, roaring and snarling when angry or excited over something. .

See also

• Shark characters
• Shark on Wikipedia

This species stub needs improving.