> >FYI, Jeremy, unlike marine bony fishes, sharks have a higher blood ion
> >concentration 2 percent, as opposed to about .2 percent in the bony
fishes.
> >This higher concentration is due to urea, which would kill bony fishes in
a
> >concentration so high.
> Urea is present in high concentration, but so is another organic salt,
TMAO,
> which is usually found in a concentration of 2:1 relative to the urea.
This
> enables sharks to be isotonic (roughtly same salts concentration) relative
> to sea water and eases osmoregulatory pressures.
>
> (10 years ago I could have told you off the top of my head what TMAO
stands
> for...).
>
> --Bruce Stallsmith
> Huntsville, AL, US of A
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
>
>
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