Differences In The Sharks Life Cycle
The shark is classified as a fish. However, it differs from other fish in significant ways. Different species vary considerably from each other as well. A sharks life cycle is different from shark species to other shark species too.
Their skeletons are made of cartilage rather than hard bones. The cartilage does not support the internal organs as well as bones do. Death can occur if a shark is out of water for more than a few minutes. Thus, the life cycle varies greatly.
Scientists classify the shark as an unintelligent animal. In spite of this, they survived without changing much for over 300 million years. Each sharks life span differs. The lemon shark lives a quarter of a century, some species live up to a century.
The Piked Dogfish is an extreme exception. It lives from between 70 and 100 years. Sharks have three ways of giving birth. It varies from species to species. Some lay eggs and swim away as other fish do. Some will lay their eggs and carry them until they hatch. Still others carry them within their bodies and nourish them through an umbilical cord, just as warm blooded mammals do.
The time required for gestation is from 9 to 22 months. The female produces from one to 100 eggs or pups at one time. Humans everywhere can envy one fact about sharks. They are able to replace their teeth as they wear out. New teeth come in throughout the entire life of the shark.
The name for a young shark is the pup. One of the most widely studied of these creatures is the lemon shark. It resides in relatively shallow water and is territorial, thus available to be analyzed over a lifetime. It is found to mature after 13 to 15 years of life.
During the first three years, it stays within a relatively small area. It swims in an area roughly the size of 11 football fields. When they grow larger, they venture into ever increasingly large areas of water off Bimini.
Sexual maturity comes in 13 years for the male and 14 to 16 years for the female of the species. At full growth they swim and hunt for food in an area of about 36 miles. They are now seven feet long and need more food. The sharks life cycle is 25 years approximately. During the years between 15 and 25 a female can produce about five litters. The male and female live about the same number of years.
While studying sharks one feature that has always intrigued Richard Williams is the sharks life cycle.
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