Facts about Pygmy Sharks
The pygmy shark, Euprotomicrus bispinatus is a sleeper shark of the Dalatiidae family. It is the only member of the genus Euprotomicrus. Pygmy shark is the smallest of all the shark species. The pygmy sharks are ovoviviparous and produce about 8 young in each litter. The pygmy shark is found in subtropical and warm temperate oceans worldwide. Their length is up to about 27 cm for females and about 22 cm for males. It is seen from the surface to depths of 1,800 m. The pygmy shark undertakes vertical migrations from the lower levels of its depth range to the surface each night. The pygmy shark has a large head and underslung jaw, strangely shaped caudal fin, and a very small first dorsal fin set far back on the body. It is black with a slightly paler belly and white borders to the fins. The lower body of the pygmy shark is luminescent, which is thought to help in disguising the fish's dark silhouette from upward-looking predators below. The pygmy shark has no spines in front of the dorsal fins. They follow the deep-water crustaceans, squids, and bony fish which rise at the same time to feed on surface plankton in comparative safety. |
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