Can Shark bodies be preserved? Under normal conditions, Shark bodies, which are made of cartilage are not preserved and only the teeth can only be preserved. I searched whether Shark bodies can be preserved in ice and I got this CNN article link about a megamouth shark. I'm guessing this was washed up or something, its preserved in ice at the Smithsonian. I think sharks could encounter ice or some other preservative material and get trapped, like frozen saltwater, iceberg, or amber. So is there a definitive answer if shark bodies can get preserved in such material? **UPDATE** I realized frozen salt water would not be a preservative because sharks don't live near the polar seas and ocean, but that does not rule out the possibility of shark catching a current, because warm currents spread out to the poles, and cold water spread out to the equator.

Yes, it's possible if they are in very cold, low oxygen waters. Fossils of manta rays are fairly common, and there are examples of complete shark fossils preserved by silt and limestone.

Sharks can also be curated using epoxy, formaldehyde, alcohol and other preserving substances. There are famous preserved sharks, one is called Rosie, a great white from Australia, and the other is by Damian Hurst, a tiger shark.