ABSTRACT
Sharks are practically legendary for their sensory capabilities, with some of this reputation deserved and some exaggerated. Accounts of sharks being able to smell or hear a single sh from miles away may be sh stories, but controlled measurements of elasmobranch sensory function have revealed that these animals possess an exquisite array of sensory systems for detecting prey and conspecics, avoiding predators and obstacles, and orienting in the sea. This sensory array provides information to a central nervous system (CNS) that includes a relatively large brain, particularly in the rays and galeomorph sharks, whose brain-to-body weight ratios are comparable to those of birds and mammals (Northcutt, 1978).
