Question of the Day #63 · May 25, 2026
Which group of cartilaginous fish existed on Earth for at least 50 million years before the first trees appeared?
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Sharks
Fossil scales attributed to sharks or their ancestors date to about 450 million years ago, before trees, though scientists debate whether the oldest scales came from true sharks. Sharks are cartilaginous fishes, with skeletons made mostly of cartilage rather than bone.