First Known Omnivorous Shark Species Identified!

First known omnivorous shark species identified!

The Bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo), is a species of hammerhead that is abundant in critical seagrass habitats.

Recent research on the stomach and digestive physiology of these sharks have shown that they consume lots of seagrass (up to 62.1% of gut content mass) and have specialised enzymes for digesting plant material (cellulose).

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Meet the most extra male cetacean alive

Ok so you know how sometimes evolution, and particularly sexual selection, leads to some really over-the-top traits in males? Like how male birds of paradise develop ridiculous plumage for mating that makes them more visible to predators and hinders their flying ability? Well, let me introduce you to Mesoplodon layardii, the strap-toothed whale. 

Yes, those are tusks growing out of the male’s lower jaw. Tusks that can grow up to a foot in length, and curve back and over the jaw, eventually preventing the male from opening his jaw by about 50%. 

The tusks aren’t used for feeding (they primarily eat squid, so no teeth necessary), but instead are used for fighting, similar to a narwhal’s tusks. Does it seem practical to partially fuse your jaw shut, severely limiting the variety of prey you can pursue, in order to fight for mates? No. Seems like really bad idea to me. But what do I know? I’m not a strap-toothed whale. 

These whales are super rare to see (they live in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica), so there’s still a lot we don’t know about them. And their weird teeth is only one of the unusual things about them (they also have unusual countershading where they’re darker on the bottom and lighter on the top, unlike pretty much every other animal in the ocean). Anyways, I just found out this whale existed and I was fascinated. Hope you enjoy!

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