Every living creature on Earth strives to continue its kind, and the shark, of course, is no exception. But the way these marine animals breed is different from how other members of their species breed.
Shark and its role in the animal kingdom of the planet
The shark is a fish that is an absolute predator. She serves as a kind of regulator not only of the number of inhabitants of the deep sea, but also as an orderly, since, as a rule, weak or sick individuals become its victims. In addition, it is the shark that serves as a stimulant for the improvement and self-development of those whom it eats. After all, wanting to protect themselves from a predator, the inhabitants of the seas and oceans strive to improve their camouflage qualities, learn to develop a high speed of movement, that is, they evolve. And in order to regulate the shark population and preserve the population of its potential victims, nature has provided for the activity of reproduction of both. And the shark in this ranking is far from the first place - it reproduces much more slowly than other fish.
How sharks breed
Sharks are cartilaginous by the type of skeletal structure and reproduce, like their relatives, using the so-called internal fertilization, in which the male's reproductive products are introduced into the female's body and embryos are conceived there.
By the type of offspring, sharks are divided into three main types - oviparous, ovoviviparous and viviparous. Oviparous sharks simultaneously form 2 to 12 eggs, which they hang in small groups on algae. The eggshell is very strong and reliably protects the young from mechanical damage and the encroachments of other predators.
In ovoviviparous sharks, egg development and shell rupture occurs in utero. After the “birth” the offspring is still inside the mother for some time, and the light comes out already practically formed individuals, capable of independent full-fledged existence.
In viviparous female sharks, conception, growth and development of embryos occurs without the formation of a shell. This method of reproduction corresponds to the highest type of organisms that inhabit the planet Earth. Viviparous sharks account for more than 10% of all their species, and they simultaneously give birth to 3 to 15 cubs.
Interesting facts about shark eggs
Shark eggs often have very unusual shapes and are called the "mermaid purse". Oceanologists found a clutch in which all the eggs were placed in a shell resembling a pouch, the cavity of which was filled with collagen mass.
Several embryos can be in one shark egg at the same time, but only one of them, the strongest, survives. Moreover, in the process of its development inside the egg, it eats its weaker counterparts.
Shark egg sizes range from the size of a goose egg or human palm to elongated spheres up to 2 meters long.
