![]() ![]() This is most common at night when the shark completes its migration towards the surface. Despite this, it is sometimes caught within nets meant for other fish, something known as bycatch. This means that it’s also rarely at risk from fisheries. The cookie cutter shark lives deep within the ocean, making it uncommon for human beings to come into contact with the marine animal. It swallows these old sets of teeth in what scientists believe is an effort to increase their calcium content. But, unlike other sharks, it sheds entire rows of teeth at a time rather than one tooth at a time. Like other sharks, it regularly replaces its teeth. One study off the coast of Hawaii found that nearly every adult spinner dolphin had at least one scar from the cookie cutter shark. It’s incredibly common to find marine animals with these scars. The rounded wounds left by the cookie cutter shark are between two inches across and 2.8 inches deep. ![]() The shark attaches itself to predators that approach, thinking they’re about to capture a smaller fish. Scientists believe that the dark collar around its neck evolved as a way to mimic the shape of other fish. It’s believed that the shark hunts stealthily, likely creeping up on prey rather than actively pursuing them. The shark also eats prey whole, like squid. It’s been known to bite undersea cables and even submarines. This includes megamouth sharks, beaked whales, sperm whales, leopard seals, stingrays, tunas, cetaceans, and more. All ocean animals are at threat from the cookie cutter shark. The cookie cutter shark got its name due to its habit of biting circular chunks out of other marine animals as well as into equipment and even into the occasional human being. ![]()
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