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With 800+ exceptional resorts and liveaboards to choose from, you can travel green while exploring the big blue.","Book your next scuba diving holiday",[149,152,155],{"linkUrl":150,"linkText":151},"\u002Fterms-conditions","Terms & Conditions",{"linkUrl":153,"linkText":154},"\u002Fterms-of-website-use","Terms of use",{"linkUrl":156,"linkText":157},"\u002Fprivacy-policy","Privacy Policy",{"title":159,"slug":160,"url":161,"entryType":162,"date":163,"lastUpdated":164,"banner":165,"coverImage":165,"category":166,"author":68,"introduction":169,"tags":170,"articleContent":174,"featuredArticles":192,"flipsnackCode":68,"typeformCode":68,"seomatic":226},"Shark Skeleton Evolution","shark-skeleton-evolution","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fshark-skeleton-evolution","newArticle","15 Oct 2020","16 Oct 2020","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FPacific\u002FFiji\u002FFiji-reef-shark.jpg",{"title":167,"slug":168},"News & opinion","news-opinion","​As reported in The Guardian, researchers recently uncovered the partial skull of a strange, armoured fish that swam the Earth's oceans over 400 million years ago. And, the details of their discovery could challenge the entire evolutionary history of sharks as we know it!",[171,172,173],"sharks","news","conservation",[175,178,182,184,186,188,190],{"type":176,"text":177},"paragraph","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>As \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fenvironment\u002F2020\u002Fsep\u002F07\u002Ffossil-upends-theory-of-how-shark-skeletons-evolved-say-scientists\">reported in The Guardian\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cstrong>, researchers recently uncovered the partial skull of a strange, armoured fish that swam the Earth's oceans over 400 million years ago. And, the details of their discovery could challenge the entire evolutionary history of sharks as we know it!\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bony fish like salmon and tuna – and almost all land animals, from birds to humans – have internal skeletons made of bone. But, the frames of sharks are different. Their internal structures are made of a flexible material called cartilage. This is true of all known species and at all stages of life - from juvenile to adult. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":179,"image":180,"description":27,"size":181,"text":27},"image","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FSharks-need-buddies-too\u002Fgrey-reef-sharks-zublu-conservation-news.jpg","medium",{"type":176,"text":183},"\u003Cp>In the past, scientists explained this difference by suggesting that the last common ancestor between sharks and other jawed animals had an internal skeleton made of cartilage. Species with bony skeletons only began to emerge once sharks had already continued down their own evolutionary path, allowing sharks to keep their original cartilaginous frame. These evolutionary steps are considered to be so crucial that all living vertebrates are divided into two categories - \"bony vertebrates\" and \"cartilaginous vertebrates\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other evidence to support this theory includes the fossilised remains of early shark ancestors called placoderms. These creatures had bony armoured plates that formed part of their jaws, as well as internal skeletons made out of cartilage. But, the recent discovery of a partial placoderm skull made entirely of bone has upended previous theories, leaving some scientists baffled!\n\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":176,"text":185},"\u003Cp>This new discovery casts doubt on the idea that sharks branched off the evolutionary tree of jawed vertebrates before bony internal skeletons evolved. And, it's no small discrepancy in the timeline. The discovery of a bony internal skeleton this far back in the history of jawed vertebrates suggests a significant gap in our knowledge of how and when these different groups evolved. \u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One possible explanation is that bony species could have evolved twice. The first change could have given rise to the newly discovered placoderm and similar still-unknown species. Then, a second development made way for early ancestors of all the planet's other living bony vertebrates. But, a more likely possibility is that a common ancestor of sharks and bony vertebrates actually had a skeleton made from bone, not cartilage. But, at some point along their evolutionary line, sharks specifically lost the ability to make bone. \u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":176,"text":187},"\u003Cp>These findings also lend credibility to the idea that the last common ancestor between modern jawed vertebrates and sharks wasn't some kind of strange hybrid species. In fact, it more likely resembled a placoderm - or primitive bony fish. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cbr \u002F>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While evolutionary biologists have long assumed that the simplest explanation was most likely to be correct, we are now seeing that these evolutionary changes were much more complex than previously assumed. Simply put, this discovery could indicate a bony ancestor shared by sharks and other vertebrates, adding an extra evolutionary step in the incredible history of sharks. \u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":189,"text":27},"separator",{"type":191,"text":27},"subscribe",[193,201,210,219],{"title":194,"slug":195,"url":196,"entryType":162,"date":197,"lastUpdated":198,"banner":199,"coverImage":199,"category":84,"introduction":200},"Where are the best places to scuba dive with sharks in Southeast Asia?","best-places-to-dive-with-sharks-in-asia","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Fbest-places-to-dive-with-sharks-in-asia","05 May 2020","26 Sep 2024","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FBest-places-for-sharks\u002FBlacktip_Reef_Shark_Maldives.jpg","Want to try shark diving but don’t know where to go? Or are you an experienced shark diver looking for a trip of a lifetime? Either way, you're in the right place. To help you find that perfect shark diving holiday, ZuBlu's team of dive travel experts and shark aficionados have  put together a list of the best opportunities for shark diving in Southeast Asia.\r\n\r\nRead on and discover how you can encounter schooling hammerheads, cruising tiger sharks and hunting reef sharks, or snorkel alongside the biggest of them all, whale sharks.​",{"title":202,"slug":203,"url":204,"entryType":162,"date":205,"lastUpdated":206,"banner":207,"coverImage":208,"category":84,"introduction":209},"Five facts you may not have known about sharks","five-facts-you-may-not-have-known-about-sharks","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Ffive-facts-you-may-not-have-known-about-sharks","16 Sep 2020","12 Jul 2023","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002Fshark-banner_200916_141314.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002Fshark-thumb.jpg","Formidable, elegant and utterly astonishing - sharks offer some of the most treasured underwater experiences and are one of the most prized encounters for many divers. But despite their incredible evolutionary history, unique behaviours, and countless remarkable adaptations, these creatures are often simplified to little more than a set of teeth. ",{"title":211,"slug":212,"url":213,"entryType":162,"date":214,"lastUpdated":215,"banner":216,"coverImage":217,"category":84,"introduction":218},"Common types of sharks in the Red Sea - a guide for scuba divers","top-types-of-sharks-in-the-red-sea","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Farticles\u002Fzublu-insights\u002Ftop-types-of-sharks-in-the-red-sea","04 Sep 2020","08 Jan 2025","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FRed-sea-sharks\u002FRed-Sea-Sharks-banner.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zubludiving.com\u002Fimages\u002FArticles\u002FRed-sea-sharks\u002FRed-Sea-Sharks-normal.jpg","Egypt's Red Sea is renowned for its colourful coral reefs, plummeting walls and pinnacles, and eerie shipwrecks. But, this dazzling dive destination is also home to impressive marine wildlife of all kinds, with many sites delivering exhilarating shark encounters throughout the year. \r\n\r\nIn this article, we'll introduce you to the top types of sharks divers are likely to encounter in the Red Sea. 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