[2] The school shark is the only extant member of Galeorhinus, an ancient genus that dates to at least the Early Eocene, when the very similar species G. cuvieri is known, and likely as far back as the mid-Cretaceous.

[5][6] Fossil teeth of the modern school shark date as far back as the mid-late Eocene, where they are known from the Castle Hayne Formation of North Carolina, US.

They are triangular-shaped, small, and flat, set at an oblique angle facing backwards, serrated and with a notch.

[7][8] The school shark has a widespread distribution and is found mainly near the seabed around coasts in temperate waters, down to depths around 800 m (2,600 ft).

Feeding is done both in open water and near the seabed as sardines and squid are pelagic animals, while the remainder are benthic species.

[5] The school shark is ovoviviparous; its eggs are fertilised internally and remain in the uterus where the developing foetus feeds on the large yolk sac.

The gestation period is about one year and the number of developing pups carried varies with the size of the mother, averaging between about 28 and 38.

The meat could be eaten fresh or preserved, and the oil from school shark livers was blended with botanicals and red ochre to create cosmetics.

[9] Subsequent to this discovery, it became the subject of a much larger-scale fishery which developed as a result of the high prices obtainable for the fish and its liver.

It became the main source of supply for vitamin A in the United States during World War II, but was overexploited, populations were reduced, and the numbers of fish caught dwindled.

Although it is widely distributed, it is threatened by overexploitation in many parts of its range, where it is targeted for its liver oil, flesh, and fins.

Deep-sea cables and the magnetic field caused by the current flow may disrupt migration routes.