Billions of years of evolution has led to the emergence of two types of fish that look superficially the same. However, the most obvious disparity between the two types of fish is the composition of their skeleton. As the name suggests, “bony fish” have a skeleton composed of only bones while a cartilaginous fish has a skeleton made entirely of cartilage. Read on to discover more differences between the two.
Difference Between Cartilaginous Fish and Bony Fish |
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Cartilaginous fishes fall under the class Chondrichthyes |
All bony fish fall under the superclass Osteichthyes |
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Primarily composed of cartilage |
Primarily composed of bone |
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Present |
Absent |
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Heterocercal in nature |
Homocercal in nature |
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Members primarily inhabit marine ecosystems. However, some exceptions are present |
Members inhabit both marine and freshwater ecosystems |
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Internal (exceptions are present) |
External |
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Absent. Buoyancy is maintained with oil stored in livers. |
Present (except for some bony fishes that dwell in the deep). |
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Great white sharks, whale sharks and every other species of sharks |
Sunfish, Tuna, Herring, Trouts etc |
Frequently Asked Questions on Bony and Cartilaginous Fish
What is the difference between bony and cartilaginous fish?
Cartilaginous fishes have skeletons composed mostly of cartilage while bony fish have a skeleton composed mostly of bone. Furthermore, these two types of fish fall under different taxonomic groups – Cartilaginous fish are grouped under the class Chondrichthyes and all bony fish fall under the superclass Osteichthyes.
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