Sixgill Sharks Rely on Cartilage Skeletons That Flex Under Immense Pressure

Its skeleton bends instead of breaking under crushing force.

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Cartilage is also found in human ears and noses, but shark cartilage is specially adapted for strength.

Like all sharks, sixgills possess skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. Cartilage is lighter and more flexible, an advantage when operating under immense hydrostatic pressure at depth.

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Flexibility reduces structural stress during vertical migrations across thousands of feet of water column.

While human engineering requires thick steel hulls to survive similar depths, this predator depends on a skeleton softer than bone to endure forces that would shatter rigid structures.

Source

NOAA National Ocean Service

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