A sand shark is a creature of elemental earth that, as its name would suggest, resembles and behaves like a shark.  Though capable of swimming and breathing in most forms of soil, they prefer sandy terrain, partly because it is easier to move through, but mostly because of their unique respiratory system.

Unlike many elemental creature, sand sharks need to breathe.  Their specialized gills exact oxygen trapped in the soil they pass through.  Due to its fine size and the ease with which it shifts, sand often contains a higher concentration of trapped oxygen, making it easier for a sand shark to breathe.  However, if a sand shark becomes stranded above ground, it begins to suffocate, just as normal sharks due when drawn from the water.

As they swim through the earth, they also swallow mineral deposits, which are used to form the shark's teeth.  It is not uncommon for a sand shark's teeth to be made of iron or precious metals or stones.