Only those species that were clearly distinct based on color, size, and shape-such as hammerheads, blue sharks, and smaller sharks such as dogfish-were distinguished. If ground into a powder and consumed, these were said to be an antidote for a variety of poisons.Д«y the time of the Renaissance, the existence of sharks was more generally known, though their diversity was woefully underestimated. Fortunately for him, a kind-hearted ray-like creature has come to the rescue.ДЄlso in the Middle Ages, fossilized shark teeth were identified as petrified dragon tongues, called glossopetrae. Olaus Magnus' 1539 Carta Marina shows a hapless man besieged by a gang of sharks. Physica Curiosa.Д¬aspar Schott's 1662 beast is equally fanciful, but the teeth and jaws suggest that it may be inspired in part by a shark.Дespite limited contact with sharks, or perhaps because of it, artists generally portrayed the fish as ravenous man-eaters. The porcupine-fish taking a bite out of the Ziphius' side? The jury's still out on that one.ДЄ shark? Caspar Schott. Many researchers believe the beast with the back fin may be a Great White, due in part to the unfortunate seal in its jaws. Icones Animalium.Д¬onrad Gessner depicted the Ziphius in his 1560 work Icones Animalium. Some of the beasts may have been at least partially informed by shark sightings. Researchers believe many of these tales were actually based on real creatures, however exaggerated. At that time, and throughout the Middle Ages, the sea was a place of mysticism and superstition, with countless tales of leviathans, monsters, and spirits plaguing the waters. It took an army of people, and several hundred years, to even begin to comprehend these magnificent fish, and we've still only scraped the surface.Д®leven hundred years ago, man was just starting to venture boldly into the open oceans. And even when more accurate depictions and accounts began to circulate, the world was completely ignorant of the vast diversity of these creatures. A mere six hundred years ago, sharks were known only by the bizarre personas recounted by animated sailors. If you were to ask an average person to differentiate between a tiger shark, Great White, whale shark, bull sharkВ or mako, most could probably do so, or would at least be aware that such varieties existed. В© Bettmann/CORBIS This article was republished from the Biodiversity Heritage Library, an open access digital library for biodiversity literature. A 16th-century illustration of imaginary sea monsters from Cosmographia by Sebastian Mustern, based on creatures from Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus.

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