Critically endangered ragged-tooth sharks are “piscivores” or fish-eaters. During feeding time at the Two Oceans Aquarium, aquarist Leigh de Necker was able to get close enough to show people some of these amazing sharks’ special fish-eating adaptations!
According to the Two Oceans Aquarium, ragged-tooth sharks have pointy, needle-like teeth. These come in handy when it comes to gripping onto slippery fish, but are not very good at biting off pieces of food – that’s why sharks shake their heads to try to reposition their food to be swallowed whole, or to break it into smaller pieces.
These sharks are also nocturnal hunters that rely on stealth, while other senses like electroreception is used to identify prey.
“You’ll notice that the sharks in this video touch their food with their snouts before eating – that’s because their vision alone isn’t enough for them to confirm that it is food, so they use the chemical and electrical receptors in their snouts to confirm that it is indeed something edible,” the Two Oceans Aquarium says.
These beautiful creatures really are an incredible example of nature’s efficiency. Be sure to visit these sharks at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit to learn more! The Save Our Seas Foundation supports marine projects in the areas of conservation, awareness, research and education.
- Website: www.saveourseas.com
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/saveourseas
Watch the magnificent video here:
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Picture: Screenshot from the video