What kind of shark is the cookiecutter shark?
The species is named for Brazil, one of its favorite habitats. There are three species of cookiecutter shark, and one of them is the Isistius plutodus, or the large tooth cookiecutter, whose bottom teeth are much bigger and more fearsome than those of Isistius brasiliensis.
How does a cookiecutter shark lose its teeth?
Unlike most sharks, who lose their teeth one at a time, cookiecutter sharks lose the complete section of lower teeth at once, as the teeth are all connected at their base. The shark ingests the teeth as they are lost — a behavior that is thought to be related to increasing calcium intake.
What makes a cookiecutter shark glow in the dark?
Cookiecutter sharks have light-emitting organs called photophores on their underside that glow bright green in the dark. This is known as bioluminescence, and scientists believe that one of its functions is to eliminate an animal’s shadow when prey is looking up at them from below.
How does the cookiecutter shark give birth to pups?
The developing pups feed on the egg yolk for awhile, and then they hatch – inside the mother’s body. Soon after, the mother cookiecutter gives birth to live shark pups, which swim off in search of food and to avoid becoming a post-natal snack for Mom.
What kind of animal is a cookiecutter shark?
Cookiecutter Shark. The cookiecutter shark is a parasite, meaning it feeds off larger animals, without killing them. It uses its sharp, pointed upper teeth to latch on the skin of a much larger shark, bony fish, or marine mammal and its thick, strong, triangular lower teeth to scoop out a mouth-sized chunk of flesh…
What kind of damage does a cookiecutter shark do?
These sharks are also thought to cause damage to submarines by biting their nose cones. Much of cookiecutter shark reproduction is still a mystery. Cookiecutter sharks are ovoviviparous. The pups inside the mother are nourished by the yolk inside their egg case. Cookiecutter sharks have 6 to 12 young per litter.
What does a cookiecutter shark do at night?
These sharks are covered with light organs, likely used for either communication or camouflage. Cookiecutter sharks feed closer to the surface at night and in deeper water during the day, so they are almost always in the dark.
The developing pups feed on the egg yolk for awhile, and then they hatch – inside the mother’s body. Soon after, the mother cookiecutter gives birth to live shark pups, which swim off in search of food and to avoid becoming a post-natal snack for Mom.
