• 19 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Dogfish Shark Skeleton Labeled

The skeleton of a spiny dogfish, labeled: the whole fish from the side, then the head up close.

Dogfish Shark Skeleton Labeled

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Chondrocranium
  2. Vertebral column
  3. Heterocercal tail
  4. Pectoral girdle
  5. Pectoral fin cartilages
  6. Fin rays
  7. Pelvic girdle
  8. Dorsal fin cartilages
  9. Fin spine
  10. Rostrum
  11. Nasal capsule
  12. Orbit
  13. Otic capsule
  14. Upper jaw (palatoquadrate cartilage)
  15. Lower jaw (Meckel's cartilage)
  16. Teeth
  17. Hyomandibular cartilage
  18. Gill arches
  19. Gill rays

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-02 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: a shark, outside and inside

All 19 parts on the diagram

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Whole skeleton 9

  1. Chondrocranium The braincase, one piece of cartilage with no seams. It encloses the brain.
  2. Vertebral column The backbone, a row of cartilage vertebrae. It runs from the braincase to the tail.
  3. Heterocercal tail The backbone bends up into the upper lobe. A tail built this way is called heterocercal.
  4. Pectoral girdle A curved bar behind the gills. It carries the two pectoral fins.
  5. Pectoral fin cartilages Cartilages at the base of the fin. Large basals come first, then rows of small radials.
  6. Fin rays Slender flexible rays stiffen the outer part of each fin.
  7. Pelvic girdle A short bar of cartilage across the belly. The two pelvic fins join it.
  8. Dorsal fin cartilages A basal plate and a row of radials hold up each dorsal fin.
  9. Fin spine A spine stands in front of each dorsal fin. It gives the spiny dogfish its name.

Head and gill arches 10

  1. Rostrum The front of the braincase, drawn out like a trough. It supports the snout.
  2. Nasal capsule A thin-walled capsule at the base of the rostrum. It holds the organ of smell.
  3. Orbit The large hollow in the side of the braincase. It holds the eye.
  4. Otic capsule The part of the braincase that holds the inner ear.
  5. Upper jaw (palatoquadrate cartilage) The upper jaw. A ligament ties it to the braincase, and it carries teeth.
  6. Lower jaw (Meckel's cartilage) The lower jaw. It meets the upper jaw at a hinge, the angle of the jaw.
  7. Teeth Both jaws carry teeth.
  8. Hyomandibular cartilage A stout piece between the ear region and the jaw hinge. It helps hang the jaws from the braincase.
  9. Gill arches Bent bars of cartilage that support the gills. They are not joined to the backbone.
  10. Gill rays Slender rods on the back edge of an arch. They hold the gills out.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-02 in two sources. L. H. Hyman, A Laboratory Manual for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (1922, public domain), the chapters on the dogfish and its skeleton, https://archive.org/details/laboratorymanual00hyma. J. F. Daniel, The Elasmobranch Fishes (1922, public domain), the chapters on the skeleton, https://archive.org/details/bwb_KV-166-519. Wikipedia, Shark anatomy and Chondrocranium, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_anatomy. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-02 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Here is a dogfish shark skeleton labeled in two views. A dogfish has no bone: every piece is cartilage. The first view shows the whole skeleton from the left side, and the second enlarges the head.

Read the full guide

Whole skeleton

The chondrocranium is the one-piece braincase. The vertebral column runs back from it and bends up into the upper lobe of the tail. Two girdles carry the paired fins. Cartilages hold the base of each fin and fine fin rays stiffen the rest. A spine stands in front of each dorsal fin.

Head and gills

Switch to Head and gills. Rostrum, nasal capsule, orbit and otic capsule are parts of the braincase. The upper jaw and lower jaw hang under it, with the hyomandibular cartilage behind them. The gill arches follow. Press Quiz me to find each part yourself.

  • The upper jaw is not part of the braincase. A ligament ties it on, and the hyomandibular cartilage braces the jaw hinge from behind.

Questions and answers

Do dogfish sharks have bones?

No. The skeleton of a dogfish is made of cartilage, like that of every shark. Cartilage bends more than bone and is less dense.

What is the chondrocranium of a dogfish shark?

It is the braincase: one piece of cartilage with no seams that encloses the brain. Its front end is the rostrum. The nasal capsules and the otic capsules are joined to it, and each side has an orbit for the eye.

What are the jaws of a dogfish shark called?

The upper jaw is the palatoquadrate cartilage, also written pterygoquadrate. The lower jaw is Meckel's cartilage. Both carry teeth, and they meet at a hinge called the angle of the jaw.

Why is the upper lobe of a shark's tail longer?

The backbone does not stop at the base of the tail. It bends upward and runs into the upper lobe. A tail built this way is called heterocercal.

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