You’ve probably seen whales do this — but a few species of sharks can also breach the water and launch themselves into the air.
Great White sharks are known to do this, but Basking sharks jump too. They live off the coast of Ireland and Scotland.
Yep, just like other fish. But in the shark world, they’re known as dermal denticles, which translates to small skin teeth.
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While the fossil record is dominated by shark teeth, remains of the animal’s skin can also help researchers learn more about shark ancestors.
Instead, some species likely use their shoulders to move food into their digestive system.
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Bamboo sharks use suction to slurp up prey from small crevices.
But it wasn’t until 2017 that researchers demonstrated that the suction power comes from shrugging their shoulders back to draw the food further into the body.
Some species are known to migrate thousands of miles, thanks to guidance from the poles.
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A 2021 study helped illustrate this phenomenon by demonstrating that migratory bonnethead sharks change their swimming patterns when exposed to different magnetic fields.
Here’s what that looks like in a small pool:
It sounds counterintuitive, but the sharks that live at the depths of the ocean have to swim against their body’s natural inclination to float to the surface.
The bio-fluorescent chain catshark prefers to live at the bottom of the ocean, where it turns a vibrant, deep green.
A 2019 study in iScience found that a group of small-molecule metabolites are responsible for this distinct hue.
As embryos develop, they rely on their yolk sacs for nutrition. But warmer waters lead to faster development, and in turn an earlier hatch.
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A study on baby epaulette sharks found they are often born weak and undernourished. Only time will tell what effect climate change will have — and how long some species will be able to survive in the wild.
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