What is a cookiecutter shark?
The appropriately named Largetooth Cookiecutter Shark, is the second species in the genus Isistius. The two specie can be separated by tooth numbers, colouration and fin positions. They vertically migrate, being found in deep water, probably below 1000 m during the day, and migrating into surface waters at night.
How do cookiecutter sharks migrate?
These sharks undertake a daily vertical migration, spending the daytime in deep waters below 3,281 feet and moving toward the water surface at night. Cookiecutter sharks often prey upon animals much larger than they are.
How deep can a cookiecutter shark swim?
The Cookiecutter shark can be found in warm, oceanic waters worldwide, particularly near islands, and has been recorded as deep as 2.7 miles. It is a poor swimmer that migrates vertically up to 1.9 miles every day, approaching the surface at dusk and descending with the dawn.
Are cookie cutter sharks dangerous to humans?
Although the idea of an encounter with a cookie cutter shark is frightening, they generally present no danger to humans due to their preference for deep waters and their small size. The cookiecutter shark is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.
How fast does a cookiecutter shark move?
It migrates vertically up to 3 km (1.9 mi) every day, approaching the surface at dusk and descending with the dawn. Reaching only 42–56 cm (16.5–22 in) in length, the cookiecutter shark has a long, cylindrical body with a short, blunt snout, large eyes, two tiny spineless dorsal fins, and a large caudal fin.
Is there any evidence of sex segregation in cookiecutter sharks?
There is no evidence of sex segregation. The suctorial lips and large lower teeth of the cookiecutter sharks are adaptations for its parasitic lifestyle. Best known for biting neat round chunks of tissue from marine mammals and large fish, the cookiecutter shark is considered a facultative ectoparasite, as it also wholly ingests smaller prey.