Dive 15: Baby Shark
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Download larger version (mp4, 79.1 MB).

Sharks that are oviparous lay eggs outside the mother’s body and provide no parental care to the next generation. A yolk sac inside the egg case provides the embryo with all the nutrients necessary for its development. Egg cases are attached to invertebrates or algae via long strands that coil around a solid base during the few months until hatching. After completing its development, the shark pup will emerge from the case and will be ready to swim in order to maximize its survival chances. Benthic shark species belonging to the families Scyliorhinidae, Hemiscylliidae, and Heterodontidae and all skates reproduce in this manner. This egg case was seen during Dive 15 of the Océano Profundo 2018 expedition.

Text contributed by Michelle T Scharer Umpierre, University of Puerto Rico.

Learn more