Differences In The Sharks Life Cycle
Their skeletons are made of cartilage rather than hard bones. The cartilage does not support the internal organs as well as bones do. Death can occur if a shark is out of water for more than a few minutes. Thus, the life cycle varies greatly.
Sharks are found to be unintelligent compare to other animals. In spite of this, it has survived as a species for over 300 million years. One species of shark has a life span of 20 to 30 years. Others will vary.
One exception is the Piked Dogfish, which lives from 70 to 100 years. The birthing process is different in various sharks. They give birth in three ways depending on species. Some lay eggs, some produce eggs and carry them until they hatch and others carry them internally and feed them through an umbilical cord.
The time required for gestation is from 9 to 22 months. The female produces from one to 100 eggs or pups at one time. Humans everywhere can envy one fact about sharks. They are able to replace their teeth as they wear out. New teeth come in throughout the entire life of the shark.
The young shark is called a pup. The lemon shark has been most accessible to man and thus studied more closely than other sharks. The length of time between birth and maturity for the lemon shark is about fifteen years.
During the first three years, it stays within a relatively small area. It swims in an area roughly the size of 11 football fields. When they grow larger, they venture into ever increasingly large areas of water off Bimini.
By the age of sexual maturity, which is 14 to 16 years for the female and 13 for the male, they live and hunt in an approximately 36 mile territory. By this age they are about seven feet long. The lemon shark lives approximately 25 years. During her life she is able to produce approximately five litters under optimal circumstances. The male sharks life cycle is about the same length.
