SEE FORUMS (Chapter 8, Page 179)

Critical Thinking - Question 2

A deep-water shark, new to science, is collected for the first time. The specimen is studied in detail, but its stomach is empty. How could you get a rough idea of its feeding habits? The specimen is a female, and its reproductive tract is found to contain 20 eggs. Can you tell the type of development characteristics of this species?

I think one can get a rough idea of an unidentified deep-water shark's feeding habits by studying the feeding habits of other known sharks. In addition, sharks possess movable powerful jaws that have rows of numerous sharp, often triangular teeth, therefore, if the unidentified deep-water shark possess any of these features, then we can assume that their feeding habits would be the same as the sharks known today.

Yes, it is possible to tell the development characteristic of the unidentified deep-water female shark by studying the 20 eggs found in its reproductive tract. Since the eggs were found in the reproductive tract of the unidentified deep-water shark then this shark could be ovoviviparous, which are cartilaginous fishes that retains eggs inside their reproductive tract for additional protection and gives birth to live young.