How Do Sharks Give Birth?

Sharks are fish and are predators. Sharks live in oceans all over the world. In appearance, sharks have gills on each side of their heads. Sharks have been in existence for close to 420 million years. There are over 500 species of sharks.

Sharks Give Birth

Some examples of sharks include bull shark, tiger shark, the great white shark, horn shark, zebra shark, whale shark, blue shark, cow shark, nurse shark among others. Sharks have teeth. The type of teeth depends on the diet they eat.

Sharks use their teeth for crushing, gripping, and cutting their prey. Most sharks are carnivorous and eat meat. They feed on seals, small fish, sea lions, and sometimes humans. Some sharks eat seagrass, which helps in adding nutrition to their diet. Sharks also eat planktons.

Sharks are great predators. Sharks can weigh from 1500 pounds to 4000 pounds. A shark can grow up to 7 feet long. Sharks can live between 20 years to 30 years.

Some sharks give birth while others lay eggs. A shark’s gestation period is between nine to 24 months. Different sharks have different gestation periods.

Do sharks lay eggs or give birth?

Most fish lay eggs. Sharks are fish and are cold-blooded. Some lay eggs while some give birth to live young ones. The sharks that give birth to live young ones are called viviparous. Sharks that lay eggs are called oviparous.

Which sharks give to live young ones?

Sharks that give birth to live young ones are called viviparous sharks. 70% of sharks give birth to live young ones. Sharks give birth to live young ones called pups. A viviparous shark’s gestation period can go up to 24 months.

The sharks that give birth to live baby sharks or pups include bull sharks, mako sharks, blue sharks, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, lemon sharks among others.

Which sharks lay eggs?

Sharks that lay eggs are called oviparous. Some sharks that lay eggs include bamboo sharks, wobbegong sharks, carpet sharks, catsharks, bullhead sharks, swell sharks, finback sharks, and long-tail carpet sharks among others. 

Which sharks lay eggs

During mating, a male shark deposits its sperms by inserting its claspers into the female. While mating, the male shark sometimes bites the female shark to prevent it from moving. After mating, the egg is fertilized. For egg-laying sharks, the fertilized egg is laid.

Once fertilized, the female shark lays the egg. The laid eggs are put in a protective sack or egg case, which resembles a mermaid. It is therefore commonly referred to as a mermaid purse. The mermaid purse holds the shark’s embryo.

The mermaid purse has tendrils and is rectangular. The tendrils assist the purse to attach itself to the corals and vegetation on the ocean. While the embryo is in the mermaid purse, it can take up to one year to hatch.

The egg inside the mermaid purse has an embryo and a yolk sac. The embryo, which will grow to become the baby shark, feeds on the yolk while inside the mermaid purse. The mermaid purse also keeps predators away with its watertight leathery shell.

Do hammerhead sharks lay eggs?

A hammerhead is a type of shark. A hammerhead is a carnivore and feeds on stingrays, octopuses, squid, and small fish. It has a uniquely shaped head, which helps it in finding its food. Hammerhead sharks can grow up to 20feet tall and weigh up to 1000 pounds.

A hammerhead’s mouth is under its head and has serrated teeth to help crush its prey. Hammerheads rarely attack humans. The only time a hammerhead will attack a human is when it feels threatened. There are few instances of hammerhead attacks on humans.

Hammerheads are fish. They do not lay eggs. Hammerheads give birth to live young ones. A hammerhead can give birth to between 6 to 42 pups. A hammerhead gives birth once every two years.

Do tiger sharks lay eggs?

Tiger sharks have vertical bars on the sides of their bodies that resemble tigers. Tiger sharks are aggressive predators. They feed on smaller sharks, some marine mammals, seabirds, rays, sea snakes, and sometimes, dead animals in the ocean.

After fertilization, the embryos of a tiger shark will develop inside an egg until it hatches. When they hatch, the embryos come out as young sharks. A tiger shark can give birth to more than 80 small baby sharks.

Do zebra sharks lay eggs?

What do baby sharks eat when they are born

Zebra sharks are a species of sharks. Unlike other sharks, zebra sharks are omnivorous. Zebra sharks feed on sea urchins, snails, small fish, and crabs. Zebra sharks have vertical yellow stripes while young. As they become adults, the stripes change to black spots.

Zebra sharks are oviparous. This means that they lay eggs. When an egg is fertilized, a female zebrafish will lay the eggs. A zebra shark’s egg is dark brown. After fertilization, a female zebra will lay close to four eggs at a time.

What do baby sharks eat when they are born?

While still embryos, need to eat to grow and survive. In the egg sac, there is a yolk. This yolk serves as food to the shark embryos. The yolk is rich in omega that helps the embryos to grow by providing the needed nutrients and energy.

After the eggs have hatched and the pups have been born, they feed on other unhatched eggs. As they continue to grow, pups eat small fish. They will change their diet according to their age.

How long do baby sharks stay with their mothers?

When a pup is born or when an egg hatches, it will need to stay with the mother for feeding. Staying with its mother also offers protection. A pup will live with its mother until it reaches four years.

Conclusion

There are two types of sharks. Some lay eggs while some give birth to live young ones as sea mammals do. Sharks have a gestation period of anything between 9 to 24 months. Most of the sharks give birth to live young ones. Pups can become prey to larger sharks. In the womb, some embryos eat unfertilized eggs.

I am Mcman a fish lover. I love fishing since my childhood as may father was also a fisherman. I share all of my experiences in this blog. Stay connected with me to know new findings on Fishing.

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