Chondrichthyes (/kɒnˈdrɪkθi.iːz/; from Ancient Greek χόνδρος (khóndros) ´cartilage´, and ἰχθύς (ikhthús) ´fish´) is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They ...
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can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or bony fishes, which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. Chondrichthyes are jawed vertebrates with paired fins, paired nares, scales, and a heart with its chambers in series. Extant chondrichthyes range in size from the 10 cm (3.9 in) finless sleeper ray to the over 10 m (32 ft) whale shark.
