🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Embryos develop inside egg cases retained within the mother until live birth, a strategy known as ovoviviparity.
Research suggests the frilled shark has one of the longest gestation periods of any vertebrate, estimated at up to 3.5 years. Living in the deep sea where metabolism is slow and food is scarce, embryonic development proceeds at an unusually gradual pace compared to most sharks.
💥 Impact (click to read)
A pregnancy spanning over three years defies common expectations for fish reproduction, which typically favors rapid cycles. In the deep ocean, however, survival hinges on producing fewer, fully developed young capable of enduring crushing pressure and extreme cold from birth.
Such an extended reproductive timeline means population recovery could take decades if numbers decline. In a habitat already threatened by expanding deep-sea fishing, a species that reproduces this slowly exists on a razor-thin margin of resilience.
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