Prickly Shark (Echinorhinus cookei)
The Prickly Shark or Echinorhinus cookei is a shark that is covered in modified teeth called dermal denticles or "skin teeth". They are often found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at depths of exceeding 425 meters! This rarely seen deep sea creature is said to often inhabit submarine canyons where it waits for its prey to swim by. The Prickly Shark often dines on squid, octopus and other small fish.
Prickly Sharks can reach length of about 4 meters (13 feet). They have a very similar appearance to the Bramble Shark, only without the thorny denticles. Prickly Sharks have no anal fin and only have two small dorsal fins that are located way back by the tail. Prickly Sharks are ovoviviparous, which means that they carry their young eggs inside them until they are close to, or ready to hatch. They can have over 100 pups in a single litter! If you have any additional information about the Prickly Shark that you would like to share please do so in the comments below...
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